Fallen
by Emilia Christine
Summary: Ava Jackson was fifteen years old when the Simian Flu pandemic crippled the world. 10 years later she remains as the only surviving member of her family, and a member of the San Francisco Human Colony. When tasked with finding a new energy source, she discovers that someone from her past is still alive. And that discovery sparks a lethal chain of events. (set during Dawn)
1. Chapter I

Hello everyone! After being emotionally compromised by _War,_ this idea came to me out of nowhere and I just had to write it. I have always loved the relationship between Will and Caesar, and I wanted to pay homage, and expand on that connection, but with someone else who Caesar shares a close bond with. This is my first story in the POTA universe, so I apologize if I explain something wrong, or something doesn't make sense. I'm learning as I go along. If you have any questions, you can always send me a message on here, or on my tumblr (info on profile) But, I hope you all enjoy the ride!

 **Rating:** T for basics: language, violence, etc

 **Pairings:** No romantic pairings, only a familial bond between Caesar and my original character

 **Warnings: language, violence, injuries will be fairly detailed, mentions of blood, a character talks about wanting to die and major character death**

* * *

There was a knock at her door and it jolted her awake.

Her eyes shot open, coinciding with a sudden intake of breath, and she casually glanced around the room. The knock came again. This time she sat up in her bed, feeling her head swooning from waking up too fast. She covered her face with her hands, trying to still the dizziness she was experiencing.

The knock came again, this time, it was followed by a voice. "Ava!"

She recognized the voice instantly. Sniffling, she shook her head and blinked, to try and wake herself up. Another knock came again, hard enough to make the door rattle on its hinges. "Hold on!" Ava called back. Groaning, she got up from her bed and shuffled over to the door. Upon opening it, she was greeted by the sight of Malcolm, sporting an anxious look on his face. She let out a yawn, before asking, "What is it?"

"Dreyfus needs to see us. It's about the power supply."

Her face hardened, all the drowsiness she had been experiencing quickly melted away. She nodded, signaling for him to wait a moment, and closed the door. Grabbing a jacket from her makeshift closet, she quickly threw the garment and her shoes. Then, she sauntered out of her room. She and Malcolm made the trek to Dreyfus' office. They had to push their way through the market, but they had done it many times before. Whatever was making Malcolm so anxious, it made her want to get there fast. The fuel they had been using to operate their generators had been dwindling. They had been trying to find other ways to keep power running at their sanctuary. And with the supply shortage, they had finally come up with a possible plan to get unlimited power.

Ava and Malcolm took the steps up to Dreyfus' office and Ava knocked on the door three times. After a beat, she heard the cue to come in. Pushing open the door, she found Dreyfus sitting at his desk, hands entwined with each other. "We need to make our move, and fast."

Malcolm closed the door, before joining his spot next to Ava. "The generators and gasifiers are not going to sustain us for much longer."

That was a fact. "How much fuel do we have left?" Ava asked.

Dreyfus remained quiet, mulling over the answer. "Enough to last two weeks, maybe three at most."

That made Ava hesitate, her teeth scraping against her bottom lip. "Okay, that's fine." Ava glanced between Dreyfus and Malcolm, before continuing. "What about the rewiring? What's the news about that?"

"That's why I brought you both here." Dreyfus sat up from his chair. "We're nearly complete with the rewiring. Now, all we need is for a small team to head up into the woods and locate the dam."

"And what if it's not intact?" Malcolm asked the probing question. It made the group go silent. What if, it wasn't intact? What were they going to do then?

Ava then shook her head, vehemently. "Don't focus on that. No one has even gone up to see." Her attempt at lightening their skepticism barely worked. So, she continued. "Malcolm and I will head up there. We'll pull together a team and we'll check to see if the dam is still intact."

After a beat, Dreyfus finally answered, with faint relief flooding his features. "Alright. Get your team, go up and check the condition of the dam. Then, you come right back. Understood."

Ava and Malcolm both nodded in their agreement. With a nod from Dreyfus, he ended the conversation, and Ava and Malcolm headed out of his office and made the walk back to their living quarters. "Who should we bring with us?" Malcolm asked as they pushed their way through the market crowd.

"Uh," Ava slid past someone, looking back to make sure that Malcolm was still close behind her. "What about Foster and Kemp?" They were good with machines, they could definitely help with the repairs. No doubt that dam is going to need some maintenance.

Malcolm nodded. "Sounds good."

Ava and Malcolm pushed through the rest of the crowd until they were out of the main crowd. She then turned to Malcolm, "What about Ellie and Alexander?"

He only had to think on it for a brief second. "Yeah, I'll ask them to go with us. I'll also get Carver to come along."

That made Ava stopped dead in her tracks, and Malcolm, who saw her out of the corner of his eye, stopped to look back at her. And he could see the look on her face, and he tilted his head. She leaned her head, just hearing his name annoyed her. Malcolm nodded in understanding. "I know, Ava."

She centered her sight on Malcolm, "I can't stand Carver." She said, rather bluntly. She and Carver never got along. Carver always thought of her as a pushover and bossy. He was nothing more than an asshole who always jumped too fast conclusions.

"I know you don't. But, he worked for the water department before the pandemic. He'll know what to do with the dam and how it works."

Ava closed her eyes in contemplation. The last thing she wanted was for Carver to tag along. But, Malcolm was right. He was an asset for getting this plant to start working. That's what was important: to get the dam working, not her dislike for Carver. "Okay, fine." She reluctantly agreed. "Thirty minutes. Get everything you need for the trip, and we'll meet down at the cars."

"Okay, thirty minutes."

Malcolm and Ava split up, heading for their respective quarters. Once in her room, Ava pulled her bag out and began to pull together the items she would need. Water canteens, food bars, extra clothing, first aid kit, flashlights, extra batteries, and a few other necessities. She then pulled out a safety box from underneath the cot and unlocked it. She stared at the contents: her handgun and several rounds of ammunition. Before the pandemic, she never thought she would own a gun. Now, here she was, a gun owner, and possessing a rather good aim. She exhaled a soft breath, and quietly loaded the ammo clips, loading her gun with one of them, and stashing the extra ammo into her bag. After, she stood up and secured the gun into the holster on her beltline.

Once everything was packed, Ava closed her backpack and got to work with changing into the appropriate clothing for the hike. The outfit consisted of grey pants, dull brown boots, and a thick parka. The temperature had dropped dramatically over the past few days. The parka seemed like a good idea to her. She pulled on the pants and the boots, shrugged on a thin sweater over her tank top, and then pulled on the parka. Picking up her backpack, she slid the straps over her arms and situated until it was sitting comfortably on her back.

During the act, she noticed a box poking out from under her cot. She paused and stared down at the box. Aside from where she kept her gun, this was one of her most important possessions. Something she had never shown anyone. However, it had been a few years since she had gone through the contents and seeing it now, it was tempting to do a quick run through what was in there. Instead, she used her foot to push it back under the cot. Before the impulse could return, she left her room and started back towards the main courtyard.

"Ava."

She slowed her pace, looked behind her and saw Ellie walking towards her. She offered a smile to her, as she finally caught up. "Malcolm informed you on what is going on?"

Ellie nodded. "I'm just glad that the rewiring has been going well. Did Dreyfus say when it would be complete?"

Ava shook her head, "No. But, given that he's sending us up there now, I'm pretty sure it'll be done within the next day or so."

"Well, the sooner we can get the dam working, the better."

"That's only if the dam is still intact, if not," Ava gave a meek shrug of the shoulders. "Then, we'll have to come up with another plan."

"Does he have one?"

"No." Ava then thought on her answer, "If he does, he hasn't said anything to me, or Malcolm. It's probably one he's still thinking through."

They reached the main courtyard. Two jeeps were already there. Malcolm, Foster, Kemp, and Carver were securing their bags and equipment to the vehicles. Ava spotted Alexander, who was tying down bags to the roof of one of the vehicles and slowly approached him. "Hey," she gave a small tug at Alexander's jacket, and he immediately peered down at her. "I'm glad you agreed to accompany us on this trip."

Alexander smiled, "Well, you and dad need all the help you can get, right?"

"Right." Ava agreed. Alexander offered to tie her bag down, to which she answered by shrugging the bag off and handing it over to him.

"Alright." Malcolm began to address the group. "Foster and Kemp will be taking the backup truck. The rest of us in this one." Malcolm gestured for everyone to get inside the vehicles. "Let's go."

Alexander finished up typing down the bags and then jumped down. Ava opened the car door, allowing Ellie and Alexander to get in first, before settling down next to the teenager. Carver took his seat up in front, next to Malcolm. Once everyone was settled in, Malcolm started the drive towards the bridge. Ava passed the time by watching Alexander sketch into his notebook. She always took an interest in his drawings, since she had never been able to draw anything past stick figures. Ava cringed at the recollection of all the drawings she made for her mother. They were so bad. Alexander had offered to give her small lessons, which she gladly accepted. However, it never did any good for her. She just surmised that she wasn't blessed gift to be a good drawer.

They made it through the last checkpoint and cruised over the Golden Gate Bridge. Ava turned her attention from Alexander's sketchbook to the scenery that was right outside her window. She leaned closer, watching everything go by. And there was a moment when she thought about what life was like before the Simian Flu pandemic. Staring out the window, the bridge was completely empty. She remembered how crowded it would get, and the traffic…it was the worst. And for the first time, in a while, she felt that familiar warmth engulf her. Memories of her family, ones she had long since stored away, came flooding back. Her lips stretched into a thin smile. God, she missed them. But, she couldn't sulk over it. Everyone has lost loved ones to the pandemic. It was a fact every single person had to learn to live with, and it was something that they all bonded over. A weird, sad thing to bond over, but it was a commonality they shared.

When the car finally drove through the entrance to the woods, Ava felt her entire body shiver from the chill that went down her spine. The entrance sign was practically non-existent, just the two supporting pillars remained. She could picture this place, with ease, being packed on a clear summer day. People out walking on the trails with their pets, enjoying the view. She came here countless times with her family, mostly with her grandfather who always had the time to take her. She could even hear his voice in her head, Look, it's the Muir Woods.

It was strange seeing it, after all these years. It didn't even look familiar to her anymore.

The vehicle came to a stop. They had reached the point where they could continue the search on foot. At the same time, everyone in the car stepped out. Malcolm and Alexander got to work getting everyone's bags off the roof. Ava slid on hers and pulled her jacket closer to her body. It was a lot cooler than she had expected, plus the rain from earlier didn't help the temperature.

For a moment, Ava wanted to pause and take in the scenery around her. It had been over ten years since she was last in these woods. She wanted to take a moment to really take it all in, but she couldn't. They all had a job to do, and the longer they wait, the more anxious Dreyfus will become. Malcolm and the rest of the group already started up the hill. Ava, after finally breaking her trance, slowly followed them up the hill.

And as she glanced up at the trees, she couldn't help but wonder. If he was still in these woods.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know this is pretty short, but as we all know, the next chapter will be when everything picks up. And you all will start to learn more about Ava's past and her family within the next few chapters. I wonder if any of you have any guesses. Either way, until next time!


	2. Chapter II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Planet of the Apes.**

* * *

It didn't take long for them to spot what they had been searching for. It took about half an hour.

Soon, the group found themselves standing along a ledge, looking out at the dam. Above the waterfall were pieces of tree trunks, fixed to resemble a kind of structure. Ava found it rather odd and cast a confused glance over at Malcolm, he didn't really know what to make of it either. But, that wasn't the important issue. The first step; finding the dam, was complete. Now, they needed to see if the dam was intact enough for them to work on it.

They had to come up with a plan. Malcolm and Ava conversed with Carver over the matter, though Malcolm did most of the talking with Carver. Ava just merely listened. From the distance they were standing, the dam seemed to be pretty much intact. However, there was the matter of the conditions inside the power plant.

"We need to find a way inside, inspect the interior." Ava finally offered. "Who knows how messed up it all could be." Malcolm and Carver agreed.

"But, we're gonna have to find a safer way to get to the entrance," Malcolm noted. He then looked out farther and gestured toward the dam. "It looks like there might be a pathway if we go further up the hill."

"I'll go up the hill, see if there's a way," Carver said. Neither Malcolm or Ava made objections. He then quietly branched away from the group, going to look for an alternative route.

Once Carver was out of sight, Malcolm cleared his throat, "You and Carver are acting pretty civil with each other." Malcolm said, earning a faint scowl from Ava.

"That's because he hasn't done anything to piss me off yet." She then smirked. "I give it no more than five minutes for him to do something."

Malcolm huffed out a laugh, but Ava was only half joking.

Either way, the rest of the group started to scout the area. Trying to see if there was any other way to get to the dam, preferably, a safer way. However, as the minutes ticked by, Ava caught onto the fact that they have yet to hear anything from Carver. Surely, he would have been able to find something by now. And if there wasn't a safer way further up, then he should be making his way back to them.

She stared in the direction she last saw Carver and bit down on her lip. "Hey," she turned to Malcolm, who leaned closer to her. "Don't you think we should have heard anything from Carver by now?"

At her question, Malcolm's attention piqued. She was right. They should have heard something by now. Perhaps it was farther ahead than they thought. A sharp blast circulated through the air. Everyone froze. "That was a gunshot." Ava pointed out. Ava and Malcolm locked eyes, pulled out their guns, and then started running towards where the noise had come from. The entire time, all she could think about was what Carver had shot.

As they got closer, they could hear Carver shouting out for them.

"Hey! Over here!"

Ava's brows furrowed at his stance. His gun was drawn, aimed in front of him, and he was visibly shaking. What in the hell happened? She ran farther ahead of Malcolm and that's when she saw it. Two apes—chimpanzees to be exact, one was lying on its back, and the other was frantically calling out.

Oh my god. She stopped next to Carver, eyes widening when she realized one of the apes was injured. "What the hell did you do?!" She called out.

"I shot him."

"Why the hell would you do that?!" She turned her attention on Carver, wanting a quick answer.

"What do you mean, why?!"

"Did it try to attack you?!" Her question was only met with a side-glance from Carver. Ava snapped her attention back on the two apes. That familiar instinct started to kick in. The urge to just step forward and help the one that was injured. But, that would be stupid. She didn't know these apes, and the fact that Carver just shot one, they weren't going to trust her.

In the distance, a cacophony of screeches and calls grew louder. She looked up and saw a hoard of apes coming towards them. On instinct, she stepped back closer to the group, and held the gun up in a loose aim. They were all over the place, some were hanging from the tree limbs, others were huddled on the ground holding giant spears. Luckily, they didn't come any closer. The last thing she wanted to do was shoot any of them.

Holy shit. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her eyes scanned over the massive group when a thought popped up. These apes, they had to be the ones that escaped from the primate shelter ten years ago. No, it can't be them, if it was, that means... Her attention shifted onto one lone ape, who stepped up on a tree stump, signaling to the other apes to stand their ground, at least that's what Ava was able to interpret. It looked like he was using a variant of sign language to communicate with them. That got her attention. But, something else caught her eye. The ape, standing on the tree stump, it had a mark close to its right shoulder. She focused more on the mark, taking a small step forward. It was covered by a decent amount of hair, but it was still distinguishable to her eye, and it looked like the same birthmark that…no.

Ava's eyes slowly rose to the ape's face, and the recognition hit her, the moment she looked into his eyes. No, it can't be. She slowly lowered her gun, and placed a hand on Malcolm's shoulder, "wait a minute." She took two steps forward, ignoring Malcolm calling her name. She didn't falter. She took great care in her movements, making sure that they were steady. But she didn't take her eyes off him, not for one second. Ava slowly placed her gun back into her holster, all the while, trying to figure out how much she remembered on sign language. If this is who she thinks it is, he'll understand.

Surprisingly, the ape didn't seem threatened, more like he was curious. He had scowled at the group, assessing to see if any of them were a threat. But, once she stepped forward, his attention was on her. It didn't look like he recognized her, but she could sense that he was debating with himself. Something about her did look familiar. She could feel her stomach drop. He doesn't recognize me.

Finally, she raised a shaky hand and signed, _"Caesar?"_

It was like the air around them got thicker. Everyone; the humans and apes, had their eyes on the duo. Caesar merely narrowed his eyes at her. _"Caesar, do you recognize me?"_ Ava signed, the shaking in her hand didn't stop. _"It's me, Ava."_

The moment she signed her name, Ava saw the recognition slowly etch into Caesar's features. But, she could also sense denial in his eyes. In a bold move, she stepped forward, quicker than she should have, while signing her name again. This made the other apes agitated. They called out warning noises to her, and Ava could hear her group raise their guns higher. They weren't going to get anywhere if everyone keeps their guns up.

She quickly stepped back, and with her eyes still on Caesar, she said to Malcolm, "put down the guns."

"Are you kidding me?" Foster was the only one who spoke up.

This prompted Ava to finally break her gaze from Caesar, and look to Malcolm. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. After a beat, Malcolm said, "Do as she says, put the guns down."

It took a moment for the others to follow along with Malcolm. But, as Ava glanced around at their group, she saw Foster and Kemp lower their guns. But when she briefly looked back at Carver, he still had his up. Her eyes darkened as she stared at him. "Carver," he didn't look at her, but she knew that he had heard her. "Put down the gun."

Ava spared a moment to look at Caesar, his face was no longer softened by recognition. It was filled with tension. With Carver still aiming his gun at them, Caesar was now more worried about this human injuring more of the apes. "Carver," Ava said again, keeping her eyes on Caesar. "Put down the gun." She demanded.

In her peripheral, the image of Carver lowering his gun made her breathe a sigh of relief. She thought that it would ease the tension between the two groups. But, it didn't change the way Caesar was staring at them. He looked unsure, even angry to a certain extent. There was something building inside of him, his breathing got heavier, noted by the rise and fall of his chest.

 _"We're not a threat."_ She signed to him. However, the image of the injured ape disproved her statement in Caesar's mind. He spared a glance in the direction of the injured ape, seeing him being cradled by his father. And when he turned back to the group, his eyes barred down on the group, making a chill go down Ava's spine.

"GO!" The word fell from Caesar's lips. His voice was harsh and powerful. Ava could almost feel his yell reverberate against her chest.

He just spoke.

Ava felt her entire body freeze, not knowing what the proper reaction to this was. She could even hear Malcolm and the others curse under their breaths. "Oh my god," she managed to whisper.

When they showed no signs of leaving, Caesar took the initiative and jumped off the stump, landing right in front of her. Malcolm pulled her back by the shoulder. "Okay…okay, we're leaving." Malcolm assured Caesar, as the group slowly backed away.

Then, all the other apes started shouting at them to leave. It was insane. Hearing these apes yelling, using words.

"Let's go…let's go!" Malcolm yelled.

The group scrambled, trying to get away as fast as possible. Ava saw Alexander slip on an incline and she grabbed him by the arm, pulling him out. "No, wait, my bag!" She ushered him forward, telling him to start running.

She was the last one to follow. Ava ran down the path, but something inside her made her stop. Her boots skidded across the dirt, and she whirled back around, seeing Caesar staring at her, preventing the apes from chasing after them. She needed to get another look at him, to see if it really was him.

"Ava!" Malcolm called out to her. "Come on!"

She didn't need to be told twice. She tore her eyes away from the ape and started down the hill. Her mind and heart were racing. She couldn't believe what just happened. After all these years, Ava finally had the answer.

Caesar was alive.

* * *

The drive back to the colony was quiet. No one had anything to say. They were all trying to make sense of what they had experienced in the woods. Even Carver said nothing, and he's usually the one who tends to freak out more over things.

Ava kept her focus away from the group by staring out the window the entire time. Caesar was alive, and she got to actually see him. But, there was a small seed of doubt sitting in the pit of her stomach. Maybe it wasn't him. It was possible that she could have mistaken that ape for Caesar. It's possible. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the window. No. She knew his face and his eyes…those were his eyes. And that birthmark. It was Caesar. It had to be.

But, he didn't seem to recognize her at first. How could he not? She had to stop herself and think on the matter. The last time she saw him was ten years ago, and their last interaction wasn't a happy one. She left the primate center confused and upset. And she regretted the way things were left between them. From that day and to now, a lot has happened. A damn pandemic wiped out almost the entire population, Ava struggled to survive, and Caesar was busy thriving with his own colony.

Why should he remember me?

The one thing she couldn't get out of her mind was the fact that Caesar spoke. It shouldn't have surprised her that much. After Caesar and the other apes had escaped, Will told her about what happened when he found Caesar in the woods. He spoke to me. She didn't believe it at first, but why would he lie to her about that? No, he wouldn't. Since then, she's lived with the knowledge that Caesar had the ability to speak. But to actually hear him do it…it was something else.

They finally made it to checkpoint 9. The car came to a stop when Malcolm saw Dreyfus step out of the checkpoint hut. Carver, who was sitting in the passenger seat, rolled down his window as Dreyfus walked up.

"Did you find it?"

Malcolm eyed Dreyfus carefully, before saying, "we need to talk."

"Why?" Dreyfus looked at the other occupants, seeing how dazed they all looked. From the looks on their faces, he knew something big had happened. "What is it?"

"The, uh—the dam is still pretty much intact. It could probably start generating power for us within the week." Dreyfus nodded, not exactly sure what the issue was. "There's a problem," Malcolm continued. "Get in."

Carver got out of the passenger seat, giving it to Dreyfus, then clambered into the back seat with Ava and the others. The gate to the checkpoint opened and Malcolm drove through. "What's going on?" Dreyfus finally asked.

Malcolm looked into the rear-view mirror, at Carver. "Tell him."

"I was looking for a safe path to the dam. And I came across two apes." This made Dreyfus turn in his seat, staring directly at Carver. "And I shot one of them. And then this huge group of apes came out of nowhere. I was scared, I didn't know what to do."

"They spoke." Malcolm's words were met with Dreyfus' confused expression. "They actually spoke to us. Told us to leave the woods, and we did."

That was the last thing he expected to hear. Apes speaking? There was no way that was possible. Dreyfus sunk into his seat and sighed, "Jesus Christ." He then turned his attention to Malcolm. "How many were there?"

"A lot of them, probably about 80."

"At least," Ellie added.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ava could see how frustrated Carver was getting. He raised his hands and she could see how they were shaking, probably out of fear more than anything else. "Okay, you're not hearing what he's saying. They spoke!"

Dreyfus shook his head. "That's not possible."

"They did Dreyfus," Malcolm confirmed what Carver said. "And I'm telling you it was incredible."

"Incredible!" Carver called out and Ava didn't fight the eye roll she did. Here he goes, about to go on some kind of rant. "They're talking apes, with big ass spears!"

She had enough. The last thing she wanted was to hear Carver go off. "God would you calm down!" Ava shouted, earning looks from everyone in the car. "If they wanted to kill us, they would have done it right then and there."

"You don't know that!" Carver argued back, causing Ava to glare at him. "And what the hell were you doing with the leader?"

Everyone in the car went silent. Ava's scowl turned neutral. She had completely forgotten that the others saw her trying to communicate with Caesar. Honestly, in that moment, she didn't even think about it. She just wanted to know if it was actually him, or not. If she had been paying attention when they got to the vehicles to leave, she would have seen everyone casting looks at her. But, this got Dreyfus' attention and he stared at Ava, waiting for her to elaborate what Carver was talking about.

"What does he mean?" Dreyfus finally asked, but when she didn't answer, he tried again. "Ava?"

For a moment, she glanced around the car, seeing that everyone was waiting for her to explain. It was rather odd for them, seeing her trying to communicate with the ape. But, she wasn't going to give them the full truth. She couldn't bring herself to do so. Not yet. She took a few seconds to scramble together a reasonable explanation. "It looked like they were using a form of sign language as their method of communication. So, I tried to communicate with the leader."

"You know sign language?" Dreyfus asked, incredulously. It was a fact about herself she never shared with the others. There was no point to.

"Just enough. He didn't respond to me." She paused for a moment. Her explanation seemed to work on them, except for Carver. Figures. Of course, he would still be skeptical of her. She brushed him off for now. "But they spoke, we're not lying about that." Why would they lie about that? "What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know. We need that power." Dreyfus went quiet, trying to decide what they should do with this information. There was a colony of apes living in the woods, near the dam. There was no way the team could sneak past them, and if they did, it would lead to serious problems. "Okay, not a word about this back at the colony. Not until we can figure out what we're going to do."

Carver slowly shook his head, clenching his jaw. "You gotta be kidding."

"No, I'm not, I don't want to create a panic."

It was the end of that conversation. Dreyfus was adamant that none of them say a word about it to anyone else, and she agreed with him. The group was already shaken up by the experience, and Carver was perhaps more unhinged than they were. The last thing any of them needed was for the entire colony to start panicking. She only hoped that Carver would abide by what Dreyfus said, and keep his mouth shut.

The rest of the ride was spent with Malcolm and Dreyfus discussing possible solutions to this new problem. Ava completely zoned out, her mind had become clouded. The fact that Caesar was alive was a lot to take in. She couldn't understand why there was still a hint of doubt. She thought for the past ten years, or so, that he could be dead. It was possible. The fact that there was never an answer, and now there is one, it was making her head spin.

When they arrived at the colony, Ava wasted no time in jumping out of the car. She quickly snatched her bag from the trunk. They had been in such a hurry to leave the woods, they didn't tie their bags onto the roof. She slid on the bag and started making towards her living quarters.

"Ava." Malcolm's voice made her stop and she turned to look at him, seeing the concern on his face. "Are you okay?"

She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, before finally answering. "Hm?" She saw him raise his eyebrows at her. "Oh," she stammered. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just…kinda tired."

He nodded his head, skeptically. "You should go get some rest."

"Yeah, I'll do that."

Ava turned on her heels and started heading towards her room. That seed of doubt still in her stomach needed to be taken care of. And she knew exactly how to do it. Once she was out of their sight, Ava broke out into a run and she didn't stop until she was at the door of her quarters. Pushing open the door, she tripped over her feet, luckily, she caught herself before she could fall. After slamming the door shut, she threw her bag onto the cot, and then reached underneath, pulling out a small rustic box and held it in her hand.

She was really going to do this. She was finally going to look at the contents…after so long.

Pursing her lips together, she sat down on the cot and opened the lid. The first thing she saw was a small booklet on sign language. She gently picked up the item, examining the faded cover, immediately smiling at the memory it pulled up.

She carefully placed the item down on the cot next to her. Then, she focused on the item she had wanted to see. An old photo of her and Caesar, when he was around three years old. It was during one of their trips out to Muir Woods, but Ava homed in on what she wanted to see. The mark near his right shoulder. It was the same mark she saw on the leader in the woods.

Her entire body went numb. The realization didn't bring the kind of joy she thought it would. Caesar didn't recognize her at first. Ten years they've been separated, and he's been surrounded by his ape colony. She could only imagine that him seeing her and the others wasn't a good surprise. Caesar wanted her and the others gone from the woods. The last ten years did a number on her, she wasn't the same person he last saw at the ape sanctuary. And he was definitely different from the ape she grew up with.

* * *

 _2008_

...

Ava's chin rested on her hands, that were folded together on the table. Her curious eyes watched the young chimpanzee as he suckled away on the bottle. It was a huge surprise when she walked into her uncle's kitchen, only to find a baby chimpanzee sitting in a baby booth. She didn't know how to interact with the animal. Therefore, she settled for watching him eat.

"Why do you have a monkey?" She asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. However, in her defense, Will had yet to give her an explanation.

"He's a chimpanzee," Will lightly corrected, as he took a seat at the table. "And I brought him here because he was at my work, and baby chimps aren't allowed to be there."

"Why does your work have chimpanzees then?"

Will hesitated. He didn't want her to know the full truth about his work, at least not yet. Animal testing was already unpopular with a vast majority of the population. He didn't want to risk upsetting her in any way. "They help us with our work, they're vital to what we do."

The reasoning seemed to work. Ava was too focused on the baby chimp, who had finished its meal. Ava smiled as the creature looked at her, instantly curious as to who this new person was. In response, Ava offered her hand out to the baby chimp, who examined it with its small hands. "How long is he going to be here?"

"For a while."

"Is it permanent?" She asked, rather excited at the idea of him keeping this baby chimp. How many people get to say that a family member owns a chimpanzee? Plus, this baby chimp was completely adorable.

Will chuckled at her excitement. "Yeah, he'll be staying with me permanently."

The baby chimp hopped out of the seat and onto Ava's shoulder. The young girl remained still, a smile plastered on her face. As the chimp ruffled through her hair, she managed to suppress a giggle. "What's his name?"

Will had no intentions on keeping the baby chimp. He was just waiting for Franklin to find a sanctuary to send him to. But, from the past couple of days, this little chimp has been showcasing an intelligence level that has perplexed Will, and while he does have a theory, he would need to look into it more. But, he never stopped to think of what to name this little guy. Now may be a good time.

He then answered with the first name that came to mind, one he had heard his father use the day he brought the chimp home. "Caesar."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, I gave you guys a little more insight into Ava's past, and now you all know how she knew Caesar! There will be more flashbacks in future chapters during various points from _Rise._

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Until next time!


	3. Chapter III

**Disclaimer: I do not own Planet of the Apes. But, I do own my original character.**

* * *

She didn't come out of her room for the rest of the day. Not even to have dinner with the others. In fact, she skipped dinner that night. Choosing to sit in her room, sitting up on her cot, with all the photos strewn out on the bed in front of her.

She had spent hours looking at them, the images re-etching themselves into her memory. There was no new information to be gained from this process. It was more about her remembering everything. Ava remembered helping prepare Caesar's bottles when he was still a baby. Then, that progressed into helping Will teach the growing chimp sign language. Ava made sure to study up on the subject until she got it perfectly down. She wanted to be able to communicate with Caesar, effectively. Before she knew it, Caesar had grown so fast, and into a strong young chimpanzee. Yet, the true amount of strength that this chimp possessed never scared Ava or her other family members.

But, that was the thing. Caesar wasn't just a chimp or an animal. He was their family. He was her family. And right now, he was the only family she had left.

Ava's eyes scanned over the weathered photos, seeing the looks of pure joy on everyone's faces. Each photo held a certain memory, and with each photo, those memories clawed their way to the surface. One photo that never failed to make her smile, was of her and Caesar when the latter was only three years old. It was during one of their family trips to Muir Woods. Ava and Caesar, after tirelessly running about, fell asleep on the picnic blanket. Will seized the moment to snap the photo. An entire moment, trapped in this one photo.

The sting on her waterline broke her concentration. She leaned back, until she was resting against the opposite wall, and covered her eyes, desperately trying to prevent herself from crying. She was allowing herself to indulge in these memories. Memories that had been stored away to the recesses of her mind for years. They were too painful to constantly think about. Pulling them back out was only causing her more grief, and tearing down the defense she had built. These were the only photos she managed to salvage during the evacuation. When it was just Ava and Will, these photos were the only thing from home. About once every week, they would look at the photos. Remembering the family, they lost during the pandemic. She didn't understand why they did this to themselves, but it made them feel closer to their loved ones. It was the only form of normalcy they had left. The last time she ever looked at them was a little before Will died, which was about seven years ago. Since then, she's had them locked away in a box, vowing that she would never look at them again. But, she finally broke that promise. And now, she was turning into a mess.

Her absence worried Malcolm. Every night, he, Ellie, Alexander, and Ava would all meet up for dinner in his quarters. But, when Ava never arrived, he found it rather odd. "Have either of you seen Ava since we got back?"

Ellie and Alexander merely shook their heads. They didn't seem to think that anything was wrong with that. "She's probably just tired, Malcolm," Ellie said, trying to ease whatever concern was growing within him.

"That's what she told me before leaving for her room."

The tone in Malcolm's voice caught Ellie's attention, and she slowly glanced up at him. "You think that she was lying?"

"I don't know."

"Malcolm, I don't think there's anything to be worried about. We all had a," she paused, trying to think of the right word to use, "interesting day, I think she just needs some time to get over it."

While Ellie was right, there was still something about her absence that bugged him. Regardless, he left it alone, at least for the remainder of that night.

The next morning, Malcolm woke up, changed his clothes, and headed for Ava's room. He had chosen to give her the remainder of the night to settle down. Now, he just wanted to make sure that she was alright. When he arrived at her door, he didn't knock right away. He leaned his ear to the door, trying to see if he could hear anything, there was nothing but silence. In response, he raised a hand and gently knocked on the door. "Ava?"

There was no answer.

He tried knocking again. "Ava, I know you're in there." Malcolm paused, waiting to see if she would respond. From the other side of the door, he could hear faint footsteps heading in his direction. He leaned away just as the door opened.

Ava appeared before him, eyes were swollen, almost like she had been crying, and hair was slightly disheveled. "What is it?" She asked, her voice sounded dry and hoarse, though she was somewhat alert. Thinking that something was wrong.

Malcolm was so gobsmacked by her appearance, all he could do was simply stare at her. What happened during last night? He couldn't be for sure, but the swollen eyes signaled to him that she had been crying, within the past few hours. "Are you okay? You didn't come out of your room for dinner, or for anything."

"Oh, yeah," she gave a nonchalant wave of the hand. "Sorry, I was just pretty tired."

He knew that was a bogus excuse. "Is everything okay?"

"I was just thinking about certain things, and it just brought up a bunch of," she paused to look at him, seeing the inquisitive concern in his eyes. Don't give any details. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry for worrying you, but really, I'm okay. Everything's fine."

Off in the distance, the alarm was sounding off. Both Malcolm and Ava froze, their gazes moving to the direction where it was coming from. The fact that the alarm was going off meant that something was going on…something serious.

She quickly grabbed her jacket, and they both set off towards the market. On the way, they met up with Ellie and Alexander. When they reached the market, a massive crowd had already formed with worried people. Malcolm led the way, pushing through the crowd with Ava and the others towing closely behind.

On the upper balcony, Ava noticed that people were gathering up there, with their guns drawn. She nudged Malcolm in the side and nodded up at the balcony. Malcolm and Ava split from Ellie and Alexander and ran up the steps. Dreyfus was leaning against the railing, looking out into the main courtyard. When Ava and Malcolm caught a view of what was out there, they both froze. Ava's hands tightly grasped the railing in front of her.

It was Caesar and his colony.

"That's a hell of a lot more than eighty!" Dreyfus shouted above the alarm.

Her throat went dry as her eyes fell on Caesar, who casually glanced up at her. What is he doing here? There was no way that he was planning on attacking them. If that were the plan, Caesar and the other apes wouldn't be standing outside the building. They would have taken the element of surprise and stormed the building.

Without a second thought, Ava took off and ran down the steps, with Malcolm and Dreyfus chasing after her. The three of them pushed their way through the gathering crowd and stopped at the doors. Her eyes scanned over the metal, her chest was heaving with each exhale. Finally, she looked over at Dreyfus and said, "open the doors."

He was hesitant at first. There was an entire colony of apes out there, opening the doors seemed like an idiotic idea. Nevertheless, he agreed. After giving the signal, the heavy doors slowly opened to the awaiting crowd of apes. Ava felt a breath hitch in her throat. She wasn't standing on a balcony looking down on them, she was right in front of them, face to face. And Dreyfus was right, there was definitely more than eighty apes. She took the first step out, pausing to see if she could continue. None of the apes made any noise, or an attempt to stop her, so she continued.

Everyone was on edge. She didn't need to look back to confirm it, but she knew that there were several armed humans, anxious eyes scanning over the apes. But, she only saw one. She stopped halfway, and Caesar took that as his cue. He gently dug his heels into the horse's side, and the animal slowly trotted towards Ava. During this, she could hear Dreyfus frantically whisper her name, but she paid no mind to it.

When Caesar stopped in front of her, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. She was able to actually look at him without dealing with the shock. And for a split moment, it felt like everyone around them melted away. It was just her and Caesar. The ape moved his eyes over the colony of humans. And there was a hard grimace on his face. Then, he spoke. "Apes!" From that one word, she could hear everyone behind her gasping and cursing under their breaths. An ape just spoke to them. But, Caesar dismissed their shock and continued. "Do not want war! But we'll fight if we must!"

Caesar turned to one of the apes, who clambered off the horse it was sitting on, and headed towards Ava. The movement out of the corner of her eye, made her break contact with Caesar, and was taken aback by the young chimpanzee. It was staring at her with narrow eyes, and in its hand, it was Alexander's bag. The one he had dropped in the woods. The chimp reached its arm out, offering the bag to Ava, who slowly went to grab it, but the chimp dropped the bag to her feet, before silently turning around and walking away.

She paused, staring down at the bag, before bending down to pick it up.

"Ape home!" Caesar shouted, pointing in the direction of the woods. Then, he maneuvered his arm and pointed to the building behind Ava. "Human home!"

The finality in Caesar's voice made a chill go down her spine. When she looked up, their eyes locked on each other. Caesar's face was no longer contorted with serious determination. No. Instead, his features soften, as did his eyes. And in a low voice, he said. "Do not. Come back."

It felt like a punch in her gut. He wasn't just telling the other humans to not come back, he was telling her to not come back. To never go and find him.

The stinging in her eyes centered Ava, and in response, she exhaled a shaky breath, watching silently as Caesar and the other apes began to march out of the city. How could he expect her to do that? She just got him back, how was she supposed to just let him go?

A hand gently squeezed her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. It was Malcolm, sporting an anxious, concerned look. Dreyfus, on the other hand, was coaxing Malcolm and Ava to get back into the building. They both followed suit. Ava walked up the steps of the building but afforded herself one last glance of the departing party. But, when she stepped into the building, and the doors closed, that's when the panic started. Everyone started shouting, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed. There was an entire colony of talking apes, that were living in the woods, and they knew where the humans were living.

What if they come back? What if they try and attack us?

These were the questions she heard several people throw around. They were scared. It was understandable. But, if she could calm everyone with assurance, she would. However, the last thing she wanted was for anyone in the colony to get suspicious about her involvement with Caesar.

Ava, Malcolm, and the others found a spot towards the back of the crowd. During which Ava gave Alexander back his bag, but she could see the hazed look in his eyes. In his own mind, he thought that they would never see the apes again. A foolish thought, the more he simmered on it. But, it was all just so out of the norm. Running across a colony of apes that were not like normal apes, especially with the ability to speak.

Everything was chaotic. The crowd was becoming irrational. People were starting to get angry due to their fear. Ava could only watch the people around her freak out over something they had no knowledge of. How could she blame them for behaving this way? If she did not know Caesar, if she had not gone with Malcolm to the woods and encountered the apes, she would probably be acting the same way. There was no way they could be faulted for their reactions.

Dreyfus finally got the crowd to go silent by using a blowhorn. She stared up at their leader, seeing the way his hand, that was holding the microphone, shook, and the way that his voice trembled. He was scared. He was beyond scared. Not for himself, but for the people he was addressing. All these people he promised to protect, promised them that he would lead them on the road to reclaim what they had lost to the pandemic. "Look I know why you're scared. I'm scared too, believe me. But I recognize the trust you've all placed in me. We've been through hell together. But you all know, what we're up against. We're almost out of fuel, which means no more power, which means we can slip back into the way things were. That dam up there was the answer. We just had no idea that they were up there too."

"So, what do we do now?" A woman in the crowd shouted, prompting everyone else to start throwing around their questions.

"We find another way. Because that power is not just about keeping the lights on, it's about giving us the tools to reconnect to the rest of the world, to find out who else is out there. So that we can start to rebuild, and reclaim, what we lost."

Ava's lips pressed together into a thin line. Dreyfus was trying to calm everyone down. He would've said anything. When she glanced over at Malcolm, he was thinking the same thing. There was no other energy source. No other option they could turn to. They needed that dam to work. If not, things will get worse, much worse.

There was only one thing Ava could think of. Only one solution that came to mind. She leaned closer to Malcolm. "I have a plan."

….

Malcolm and Ava left the crowd and headed for Dreyfus' office. Instead of waiting for him inside, they waited for him out in the hallway. They didn't say a word to each other. Malcolm didn't even ask for her to brief him on what her plan was. The weight of the situation they were in was mind-numbing. And the plan that Ava had conjured up only a few minutes before, may not even provide the results they needed. But, she had to try.

Footsteps coming towards them brought them both to center. Their heads turned and saw Dreyfus standing before them, still looking rattled after what had just happened. "That was a great speech." Malcolm quietly commented. "But, you know that there is no other source. That dam is all we have left."

Dreyfus hesitated, trying to weight what little options they had left. But, the words that left his mouth made her entire body go cold. "Then we fight them."

"No." Ava's response was quick and frantic. It made both Dreyfus and Malcolm look at her with surprise and confusion. "The last thing we need is a fight on our hands."

"What other option do we have, Ava?" Dreyfus questioned. "We're two weeks away from running out of fuel, you know this. Once that happens, I'm not gonna be able to go out there with a blowhorn and calm everyone down. If we don't fight them, what choice do we have left?"

"I have a plan." She said, wanting to get off the discussion of possibly fighting the apes. That idea in of itself was unthinkable to her. "Let me go up there." The response made both men's expressions turn to shock, Malcolm even began to shake his head, ready to fight against her plan. But, she persisted. "Listen, we all know that the dam is our only chance. But, if you let me go up there, and talk to him, I can try and convince him to let us work on the dam."

"No, there's no way I'm gonna let you do that." Ava opened her mouth, to try and get Dreyfus to agree, but he cut her off. "What if it gets violent? What if he, or the other apes, do something to you?"

"He won't." Her statement was bold and full of certainty.

"How do you know? How do you know that he's even going to be able to understand you?"

The young woman exhaled a breath, her eyes settling on the bag in Malcolm's arms. Silently, she nodded at the object, to which Dreyfus followed her gaze. "He brought that back to us. He told us that the apes don't want to fight." Dreyfus' eyes remained on the bag, but she could still see the uncertainty in them. She leaned closer to the man, every inch of her body now full of determination. "He's not going to hurt me. As long as I don't do anything to harm them, or threaten them, I'll be fine."

"What is it with you?" Dreyfus' question rendered her speechless. "How are you so certain that he's not going to harm you? How are you so sure that you'll be able to get through to him?"

She swallowed hard, feeling the intensity radiating from his eyes. For a brief moment, she thought about coming clean. Telling them both everything that happened in the past. Who her uncle was, and who Caesar was to her. But, she fought against the urge. No, now isn't the time for her to start spilling out the details of her past. That's not what was important. "You've trusted me this far to help with finding a new energy source," she answered calmly. "And now I'm asking you to trust me on this. It's worth a shot, rather than just going in, and starting a war. Dreyfus, please, just give me three days. Three days to talk to him."

Malcolm scanned over Ava's features, brows slightly creased. He's known her long enough to know that there's something more to this. Something that she's deliberately keeping hidden. "I agree with her." He said. "I think it's worth a try, rather than immediately resort to violence."

Dreyfus moved his gaze between both of them, trying to see if there was an opening for him to convince them that this was a terrible idea. But, there wasn't one. "I'm gonna take some men up to 4 point. I'm gonna see what's still working." He pointed a finger at Ava, and then to Malcolm. "Three days. That's all I'm giving you. And if you're not back in three days, we're going up there, and we're gonna kill every last one of them."

She worked hard at keeping her reaction neutral. To not show the flare-up of anger she felt at hearing him say those words. She had to keep herself level-headed. She then managed to say, "Very well." But, his words were still bouncing around her head. Dreyfus was hell-bent on this. Going up there and killing all of them, including Caesar, if her plan didn't work out. We're going up there, and we're gonna kill every last one of them.

Over my dead body.

She got out of there fast. After what Dreyfus said, Ava didn't want to be around him. Of course, she never said anything against him, and she didn't even express her distaste to Malcolm. There was no point in her doing that. The only thing that was on her mind was to get ready for the drive back to the woods.

Her bag was still packed from their last trip, she only had to switch out a few things. And she made sure to stash her photos into her bag as well. She thought that maybe there would be a moment where she could show Caesar, but she highly doubted it. She wasn't going up there to reminisce about the good old days. The prime objective was to go up there, convince Caesar to let them stay, get the dam working, and then return to the city. Besides, if she were to try and spend time with Caesar, the others would grow suspicious. And the last thing she wanted, was for them to start asking questions.

When her bag was packed, and she had changed into new clothes, Ava left her living quarters and headed for the main courtyard. Malcolm had told her about ten minutes earlier, that Carver, Foster, and Kemp, were getting the cars ready. Hearing that Carver would be tagging along made her dread this trip even more. Just being there was already going to cause tension, but to have Carver with them, the one who shot one of the apes, this may be more difficult than she originally thought. Regardless, she pushed the thought away and focused on the task before her. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Caesar and his colony expect none of the humans to return to the woods. When she sees him, she could only imagine that Caesar would not be happy that she went against what he said. She was going to have to calm him in some way, but how?

How was she supposed to talk down an upset Caesar, and his colony of apes? That was something she could figure out on the way there.

Arriving at the vehicles, Ava noticed that Ellie and Alexander were standing next to one of the jeeps, with their bags clinging to their back. She quickly approached them. "What are you doing?"

Ellie turned to Ava and exhaled a silent breath. "I'm going with you. If someone gets hurt, then you'll need me to be there."

"And I'm safer with Dad, than staying here," Alexander explained.

Ava could argue against it. But, they both had their minds made up. "You know it's not going to be safe, right?"

Both nodded their heads, fully aware of the risks that were involved with this plan. And she couldn't do anything about it. The only thing that was acceptable was to pile into the vehicles and get to the woods.

"Ava," Ellie finally spoke once they were out on the bridge. "What are you going to tell him?"

With her chin resting against her hand, Ava silently shook her head. "I guess I'll just tell him the truth. I'll tell him why we were up there, and why we came back."

"Do you think you'll be able to get through to him?" Alexander's voice pierced through the silence, forcing her to face down the possibility.

There was a slim chance, that Caesar could turn his back on her. That he could flat out deny them the permission to work on the dam. And that could lead out to a war between the apes and humans. That was the last thing any of them wanted. But, Ava hoped that, with it being just her, she could be able to convince him. Convince him that none of them are there to hurt any of the apes. Ava would do her part, it was just up to Caesar whether to believe her or not.

The time it took from the city to the woods, must have somehow been cut down. Before she knew it, the car was parked and she was staring out her window, into the silent, empty woods. It made a chill go down her spine, and she didn't move, for a good amount of time. To the point that Malcolm grew concerned.

"Ava," his voice snapped her out of her trance. "If you're having second thoughts about doing this,"

"No." She cut him off. "No, I'm gonna do this."

Picking up her bag, she sifted through the contents, pulling out a flashlight, and a light overcoat. The rain was starting to come down, and she wanted to keep her clothes dry as much as possible. Looking up, everyone in the car was anxiously staring at her, just wanting to see how she was handling all of this.

"No one gets out of the car, alright? Everyone stays here. No one move." She looked to each person, seeing them nod in her compliance, even Carver gave her a small nod. Though, that didn't surprise her. Out of everyone, Carver was the least likely to put himself in harm's way.

As she went to exit the car, Alexander breathed out a quiet, "be careful." She merely offered an assuring smile before closing the car door. Taking the overcoat, she hooked it around her body and pulled up the hood of her jacket over her head. With her gun resting in its holster and a flashlight secured in her pocket, Ava was set.

Malcolm rolled down his window, prompting Ava to step closer. "Two hours." He said plainly. "If you're not back in two hours, I'm,"

"You're going to go back to the city."

Malcolm stared at Ava, perplexed. "What? No. I'm gonna come find you."

At his statement, she vigorously shook her head. "No. If I'm not back in two hours, you get everyone back to the city. I don't want you, or anyone else getting hurt. It's not worth the risk. Got it?" She asked, raising her brow at Malcolm, waiting for him to comply. He did, much to his hesitation. Nothing else was said. Ava quickly turned and ventured into the woods. If she had stayed any longer, fear and uncertainty would have set in, and she wouldn't have found the motivation to go out and find him.

The first problem, Ava had no idea where the ape colony is. The only thing she could think to do was follow the same path they took, before running across the apes, and then go from there. She came across the ledge where they first spotted the dam. And followed up the path that led to the image of Carver aiming a gun at two chimpanzees. She shuttered as she walked past the spot where it occurred. She couldn't help but think, what if they had not come across those two apes? Could they have worked on the dam without any of the apes knowing? Probably not. Apes were already intelligent animals, to begin with. But, with the virus in their systems, they were beyond intelligent. Ava and the others wouldn't have gotten away with it.

There was a seed of doubt in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea if she was going in the right direction. What if she wouldn't be able to find the colony? Luckily, Ava came across physical markings on trees. It consisted of sticks and animal skulls. That's nice. She grimaced at the sight. But, looking ahead, she could see several more markers. These must be functioning as some sort of trail markers for the apes to follow, in case some of them got lost. She took her chance, and followed up the hill, making sure to follow the markings.

In time, Ava found herself staring up at a muddy pathway, bordered with jagged branches, and tree trunks. Her feet sunk into the muddy ground with each step. It felt like she was in some kind of horror movie, and she was the oblivious girl walking into her demise. But, it wasn't going to be a horrid monster that would greet her at the end, it was going to be Caesar. She tried to keep that in mind as she passed under an archway.

It was so quiet. To the point where it made her uncomfortable. Where are all the apes?

Just as the thought passed, there was the soft clinking of something from behind her. The noise made her stop. Then, a heavy breath broke the brief silence. She closed her eyes and slowly turned around. When she opened them, her eyes were greeted with the sight of a massive gorilla, glaring at her.

Her mouth opened, but no words were coming out. She didn't know what to say. There was a gorilla in front of her, sporting a menacing look, and she was all on her own. With only a gun to protect herself, but she didn't want to hurt the animal. That would just create more tension between the two colonies, especially since she was the one who intruded on their territory.

Taking a few steps back, Ava slowly raised her hands up, showing that she meant no harm. Then, she finally found her voice. "I need to see Caesar." Her voice was low and trembled. To say she was scared was inaccurate. She was terrified. "Please," she tried again. "Take me to Caesar."

The gorilla continued to stare at her, with an unreadable expression on his face. In a fluid motion, the animal raised up on its hind legs and belted out an ear-piercing roar. It caught her off guard. She stumbled backward, almost falling flat on her back, but caught herself.

Shrieks and calls from other apes appeared from all around her. She frantically looked around, seeing that several apes were starting to crowd around her. Again, she threw her hands up, and kept her head down, not daring to look these animals in the eyes. A vigorous shove pushed her forward, cueing her to start walking, and she did just that.

All she saw was her feet moving forward, and the sounds of apes around her. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and there was an ache in her throat each time she inhaled. Any of these apes could kill her at any moment. She made sure to keep her head down, and not do anything that would provoke them in any way.

They finally came into a clearing, and Ava allowed herself to look up. It was the colony. Rundown shelters that were made from wood surrounded the entire perimeter of the area. A huge tree towards the right had a rigged pathway that went all the way to the treetops. It was quite impressive. Despite being terrified, she took in the sight of this primitive colony.

The moment of tranquility was shattered as Ava was shoved down by one of the gorillas. She bit back a scream as she fell to her hands and knees, her face just a few inches away from the muddy ground. And she remained in that stance, not allowing herself to look up. She was simply too scared to even move an inch. The apes crowded around her, several circled her, trying to get a good look at the human. They were all barking at her if they were trying to make her feel unsafe, they were doing a good job at it.

Then, they all went quiet. It made her blood go cold.

After getting the courage, she slowly raised her head and saw Caesar standing in front of her, eyes glaring down at her. She let out a shaky breath, fully leaning back on her knees. "Caesar." Her voice was quiet, hinting at a small amount of happiness at seeing him. But, he didn't look happy, and it made her face grow tense. "I know you told me not to come back, and I'm sorry. But, I came here because there's something that I need to tell you."

He only continued to stare at her, making no verbal, or physical, display that he would listen to her, but she decided to proceed. "There's something here, in the woods. Something that is very important to us, that's on your territory. That's why we were up here because we were looking for it. It's our only chance for survival."

All the apes didn't say anything. She, especially, knew that Caesar could understand her. His silence was just unnerving. "If you'll let me show you, then you'll be able to understand why we need this."

"Human lie!" One of the apes screamed, causing her to flinch from both the volume of his voice and the meaning it held.

She kept her sight leveled with Caesar's, refusing to look away this time. "You know I would never lie to you." Her statement was met by low grunts from the other apes. "Please." The word left her mouth as a pathetic whisper, but the tone behind it was evident. She was begging with him. Begging for a chance to explain all of this. If she could do that, then maybe he would agree to let them stay.

All the apes around her started barking and hollering. They didn't trust her words. The ape that had accused her of lying, raised his spear above her head, aimed directly at her. Even though she tried to keep up a brave face, her entire torso started to shake. Her hands balled up into fists, praying that Caesar would agree.

Caesar stared at Ava, feeling that sense of caution, that he needed to be careful around her. But, why? He's known her since he was a baby. She showed Caesar nothing but love and kindness when he was growing up. There was no way that she would lie to him. At least, he hoped not. In an instant, Caesar raised a hand up, and all the apes went silent. They stared up at their leader, confused by his gesture. His eyes scanned over the colony, before settling on Ava. "Show. Me."

She released a heavy, relieved breath. All the tension in her body, suddenly melted away. The first part of this plan was done. But, it wasn't done yet. Out of her peripheral, she could see one of the apes inching closer to her. She could barely spot the scar that ran down his face, one of his eyes was also messed up. He bared his teeth and snarled at her, something about the way she looked was familiar to him. But, it wasn't a good familiar. It made him incredibly angry.

"No." Caesar's gruff voice ceased the ape's advance towards her. Reluctantly, he backed away from Ava, the scowl still present on his face. But, Caesar's eyes remained on the retreating ape, until he was a good distance away from her. As long as she was around them, Caesar would make sure that none of the apes harmed her in any way. Caesar took a step closer, prompting Ava to look up at him. "Show. Me." He repeated.

Ava stumbled to her feet, eyeing the other apes, who were still staring at her with skepticism, just waiting to see her make the wrong move. Clearing her throat, she nodded at Caesar, then turned, seeing that the apes had cleared a path for her to lead the way. And with her body still trembling, Ava led Caesar, and a few of the apes, out of their colony.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, we got a little more Ava/Caesar interaction. I promise there will be more in the next chapter, which may include a bonding scene between Ava and Caesar! Anyways, a review would be much appreciated! Your comments are seriously what helps to keep me going! Until next time!


	4. Chapter IIII

Dialogue that is communicated with Sign Language will be _italicized_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Planet of the Apes.**

 _ **warnings: a character talks about wanting to die**_

* * *

She kept moving forward. Taking care with how many times she looked behind her. It was rather unnerving for her. There was a group of apes following closely behind. She could hear their faint howls and the sound of their feet against the ground. It was so strange and unsettling.

When they arrived at the dam, Ava stood in place, scanning over the structure that was in front of her. The apes had pulled together a pathway made from thick tree branches and trunks. It looked sturdy enough. No doubt the apes will have no problem with maneuvering over it, it was herself that she was worried about. Taking a glance over her shoulder, she saw Caesar and the other apes, waiting for her to make the first move.

Facing forward, she inhaled a deep breath, then started the trek over the jagged path. The wood was slick from the water, causing her feet to slip on several occasions. Luckily, she was able to catch herself before falling. Reaching the edge of the pathway, Ava glanced over the edge, finding herself peering down the massive waterfall. She swallowed hard, and gently lowered herself onto the staircase that led to the dam's entrance. She pressed her hands against the worn metal, then moved to the handle. Turning the handle, she pressed her whole body against the door and pushed.

The door opened and the hinges let out a sharp crack. She groaned at the sound. It was completely dark inside. She pulled out her flashlight and led the way in. They walked down a small set of stairs. And a little more forward, they were thrust into the main control room, which was barely light from the daylight. This prompted Ava to switch off her flashlight.

This is it.

She led the rest of the way, down the stairs. Glancing back, Caesar and the apes were still trailing behind her. And she could see the curious looks on their faces as they took in the sight of this place.

"This is a small hydro," she began to explain, turning to face the apes. "It's an industrial plant that uses water to generate power. This one used to service areas to the north. But, we've reworked the power lines in the city, that way the power generated here will power downtown." She turned and stepped up onto a platform, her eyes wandered over the control panel. "The city used to run on nuclear energy, but that ran out a long time ago. Since then we've used generators, and gasifiers to give us power. But, if we can get this dam to work, then we will be able to restore unlimited power."

When she finished, she stared at Caesar, waiting for a response. Instead, she only received blank stares. In that moment, she hesitated. Maybe they didn't understand her fully. Clearing her throat, she slowly approached Caesar, but she kept her stance on the platform. "Caesar, you understand, don't you?"

"The…lights."

Relief flooded her entire body. "The city lights." She replied, flashing a soft, genuine smile.

Caesar was caught off guard by it. That smile. It's the same smile she's always had. Granted she is much older, and her features bear the harshness she has experienced the past ten years. But, seeing that smile, he felt like he was back at home before he was sent to the ape shelter. Remembering now, Caesar recalled that Ava was always smiling when she was around him. And he always noted how her and Will's smile were the same. Suddenly, a pang of sadness jolted his nerves. Seeing her smile, it was making him think of the young girl he grew up with. And it was making him think about Will, his father.

If only Ava knew that Caesar was thinking about this. For the first time, in a long time, Caesar ached for the life he had before all of this.

The young woman moved her gaze around the other apes. They all looked suspicious of her, not one hint of trust could be detected. Understandable. Finally, she found herself back on Caesar. "I understand. This is your home, your territory. We're not here to take it away, we don't want to hurt any of you, or to cause trouble. I promise. But, if you just let us work on this,"

"You. Brought others?" The same ape that had accused her of lying earlier, began to approach her, causing Ava to stumble back. But, Caesar was quick to halt the apes' advancement.

"Just a couple of people." She answered. She focused on Caesar, giving him her full attention. "I know, it's been a long time since we last saw each other." The apes hooted in confusion at her statement, but she continued. "But, I hope you know that I would never do anything to hurt you or the other apes. None of us will. But, if you can give us permission to work on this dam, I promise, when we finish, we will leave." The next words made her pause. They were stuck in her throat, just thinking about them caused a lump to form. "We will leave and we won't come back."

It seemed like a reasonable plan, in her mind at least. Some of the apes seemed to agree, although they were all still worried about having humans on their territory. But, it was all up to Caesar. And after studying her face, he finally spoke. "No. Guns."

This made Ava blink in surprise. Was he agreeing? "No guns?" she repeated. "So, we give you all of our guns and we can stay?"

The ape gave a meager nod. And with that single gesture, it was all over.

Ava exhaled a relieved breath and nodded. She did it. "Okay." That's when she remembered that her gun was secured in its holster. Raising a hand up at the apes, she slowly reached to her beltline and pulled the weapon from its hiding place. Then, she calmly brought the gun into sight and handed it over to Caesar. "You said, no guns."

* * *

The hard part was finally over.

Caesar had granted Ava permission for her and the others, to start their work on the dam. Now, they don't have to worry about Dreyfus coming up here and starting a damn war. On the way back to the cars, Ava remained silent, pondering on what she would have done if Caesar had denied them the permission to work on the dam. If they had returned to the city with bad news, then Dreyfus would have gone with his extreme plan. Then, Caesar, and the other apes would get slaughtered. And as long as Ava was standing, she was going to prevent a war from happening.

As she glanced up, the sight of the apes swinging from vine to vine, was a real sight, indeed. She never actually got to settle with the fact that she was surrounded by apes. Not just apes, but highly intelligent apes, that possessed enough strength to off her without hesitation. But, Ava knew that with Caesar close by, he wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

The vehicles came into view, and through the windows, she could see Malcolm and the others staring at her. She could just barely make out the terrified look on Carver's face. Typical. She walked down a small incline, and approached the vehicle, just as Malcolm rolled down his window. When she came to a stop, she could see Carver holding his gun, and she gave him a hardened stare.

"Put your gun away Carver, you don't need it. But, we need to give them all of our guns, that is the only condition."

Malcolm spared a look at the apes standing behind her, then focused his attention back on Ava. "So, what does that mean?"

"We can stay." She clarified. "But, we need to give them all of our guns. So, let's get this done, and start setting up camp."

At first, no one got out of the car. Ava had already begun to pull bags out of the truck when she realized everyone was still in place. She slammed her hand against the hull of the vehicle a few times, everyone in the car turned to look at her, and she said, "let's go!"

After this, everyone poured out of the vehicles. Alex and Malcolm went to work with untying the bags from the top of the truck. Ava and Ellie worked without pulling out coolers, and food bags from the trunk of the car.

Once everything was gathered, Ava approached Caesar, "we need somewhere to set up our camp."

The ape regarded the group, who were all waiting silently, anxiously, for his response. He gave a swift motion, telling them to follow, and started off in the opposite direction. Ava remained ahead of the group, hoping that it would ease some of their nerves if she showed that the apes meant no harm. As long as they didn't try to do something stupid, this should all go according to plan.

Caesar came to a stop near a clear patch. The entire group paused, surveyed the area, deeming it to be an adequate place for them to set up camp. And, Ava didn't waste any time. She stepped forward and began setting up her tent. The others, aside from Malcolm, followed in suit. Malcolm spoke with Caesar for a few minutes, mainly just expressing his gratitude for letting them stay.

Handing over their guns was a tense moment. Ava handed over the spares she kept with her. Malcolm was not as hesitant. But, Carver was the person she was most worried about. She saw the way he looked at them. Tense eyes were filled with suspicion and fear as he handed over the only safety net he had. It was a long stretch to ask him to trust her. But, he had to. This was the only exception that Caesar was making. They were incredibly lucky that he didn't refuse permission to stay.

It took a few hours. They got their tents up just as the sun was starting to set. The apes left with their guns. As she watched Caesar's retreating figure, she wanted to call out to him. She just wanted to talk, without any of the others around them. She just wanted to spend time with him. A small part of her thought it would bring them back to how they once were.

 _It's never going to happen._ She thought bitterly to herself. _Too much time has passed. We're not the same. Not anymore._

All of their tents were set up. The woods were starting to go dark as the sun continued to set. Malcolm had stationed himself in his tent, drawing out a plan for getting the dam functional again. Ava and the others were situated around a roaring campfire. Ellie passed around their dinner, while Alexander occupied his time drawing in his sketchbook. After the hellacious tension she experienced the past hour, it was time to just relax.

"You know the scary thing about them? They don't need power, lights, heat, nothing. That's their advantage. That's what makes them strong."

Ava continued to stare into the fire, not doing anything to acknowledge what Foster had said. Even though he was right. That was the apes' advantage. Her gaze broke when she looked up at Malcolm, as he was finally joining the group.

"Malcolm, I think one of us should stand guard tonight." Kemp offered.

"With what? They took our guns." Foster pointed out.

"We don't need to worry about an attack," Ava spoke up, keeping her gaze down at the plate in her lap. "They won't do anything. As long as we don't provoke them."

"How the hell do you know anything about them?"

Ava's grip on the fork tightened. She strained her eyes to stare at Carver.

"You seem so trusting of them. When they are probably just waiting for the right opportunity. Then, they'll come in and kill us all."

Ava dropped her plate down next to her chair. The impact made the fork clank against the metal, startling everyone. "How about you just stay quiet, alright? The last thing we need is you causing any more trouble."

"Me, causing trouble for them?"

"For all of us." Ava snapped, silencing Carver from saying anything else. "If the apes wanted to kill us, they wouldn't wait. Besides, they would have done long ago."

Footsteps from the woods caught everyone's attention. Ava's back straightened, her head craned over her shoulder to see where the noise had come from. From the darkness, three apes stepped forward, their faces illuminated from the fire. Everyone remained quiet and still, for fear that any small movement would trigger some form of attack. Although, the way Carver stared at the animals, he thought these were his last moments.

The main ape looked at each member of the group before his eyes settled on Ava. The ape stepped forward and signed, _"Ava?"_

She nodded her head and stood up from her chair. She then signed, _"Yes. What's your name?"_

 _"Rocket."_ The ape gave a low grunted. _"Caesar wants to see you."_

"What is it?" Malcolm asked.

Ava, while keeping her eyes on Rocket, said, "Caesar wants to see me."

Malcolm hesitated, then stepped over to her, his hand gently took hold of her arm, prompting Ava to look at him. "Maybe that's not the best idea. It's almost dark, plus we have a big day tomorrow."

"I'm going." Ava cemented her decision. "I'll be fine." She assured him upon seeing the anxious look on his face. "He won't hurt me."

Ava went into her tent to retrieve her bag. While it wasn't necessary for her to bring it, it was better to be safe than sorry. Once she was settled, she motioned for the apes to lead the way. Before following, she turned back to Malcolm and said, "don't wait up for me."

She kept herself behind the party, noticing how each ape would spare a look back at her. They were tense, unsure. They were probably curious as to why Caesar would want to see her. Honestly, she was a little surprised herself. Caesar wasn't the same ape she had known from fifteen years ago. He was older, wiser, a leader of his own colony. For a little over a decade, he's maintained this colony, made decisions based on what was right for the apes. He's been a leader, a protector. While she wanted nothing more than to speak with him, she never expected him to want to. Surely, the tensions at his own camp were high. The fact that he had sent for a human would definitely garner all the ape's attention.

They arrived at the came with ease. All the apes were spread out, a bigger group was resting near a huge fire. Yet, she could all of their eyes immediately on her, scrutinizing her every move. Just waiting for her to screw up, that way they could pounce on her. Rocket pointed up towards the huge tree and gestured for her to follow. She did. As she passed a group of apes, she could spot the ape with the terrible scar on his face. The look he gave her was enough to make a chill go down her back.

She followed Rocket, who took her to a little spot on the other side of the tree. Caesar was there, sitting on a boulder that had an overlook of the entire forest. He signed his thanks to Rocket, then dismissed him. However, Ava remained standing, not wanting to do anything that might seem offensive, which made her feel stupid.

Caesar looked at her, rather peculiar as to why she was still standing. Finally, he motioned for her to sit down next to him. She stepped forward, slid off her bag, and sat down on the boulder next to him. For a moment, they both said nothing. Content with just staring out at the forest below them. She didn't know how to talk with him, which made her feel incredibly uneasy. It shouldn't be that difficult, not for the both of them.

She spared a glance in his direction, taking in his features. He looked worn down, paying testament to what he went through. There were faint scars decorating other parts of his body. Definitely, ones he's obtained either by defending himself or hunting. She can only imagine what he went through in the aftermath of their escape.

Ava cleared her throat and focused her attention back on the scene in front of her. "Why did you ask for me?"

"Talk."

"Talk." She repeated and huffed out a laugh. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?" She finally turned to him.

Cesar hesitated, his expression turned somber. Then, he signed, _"Will. All of them."_

This was what she had briskly prepared herself for. Of course, he would want to talk about their family. He has absolutely no idea what happened to them, unfortunately, that meant Ava would have to recount what happened. "What do you want to know about them?"

 _"Where are they?"_

Silence. Ava stared at Caesar, from the remaining light in the sky, he could see that her eyes were glazed over. And she felt the sting on her water line. But, she didn't falter or looked away. Her lips pressed into a thin line, the painful memories resurfaced. "They, uh," her voice wavered, forcing her to swallow several times. She could barely form the words. It still felt incredibly raw. "They're dead." She whispered the tears in her eyes threatened to spill. "All of them."

Caesar felt numb. Will and his human family became a distant memory as each year passed. They settled to the back of his mind and only came out when he allowed himself the moment of nostalgia. He had settled with not knowing what happened to them. A part of him felt like they had perished. But, it was never certain. And he came to terms with not knowing. It was only that chance encounter with Ava in the forest did it bring back everything. The first thing he thought of was, where were the others? He had to find out. Now, he wished that he hadn't.

"Grandpa died a few weeks before you escaped the sanctuary." Ava began to divulge the details, wanting to get over it as quick as possible. "After you all escaped, the Simian Flu just ravaged the entire planet. San Francisco was ground zero." She dragged her teeth across her bottom lip, the tears finally fell. "Caroline died within the first year."

Caesar sulked in his position, exhaling a deep sigh.

"Then, my mom a couple of months later." Ava pulled her knees up to her chest, not caring to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "It was just me and Will. We had to evacuate the house and for about three years, it was just the two of us."

Ava and Will shared living quarters, growing closer than they were before. They were all they had left. She had no idea if her father had survived. After her parents divorced, her father moved to New York and she hardly saw him after that. He was too busy with his new wife and two daughters. Hell, Ava didn't even know if they were alive.

"When he got sick, he didn't want me to be around him. He wasn't gonna survive it, so he left. I don't know where he went, but I know he probably didn't get far." The more she had thought about it, Will probably ended up back in the neighborhoods, wanting to be closer to something that was familiar to him. Not once did she think to go out and find him, she wasn't prepared for what she would have found.

 _"You are sure that he is dead?"_ Caesar signed.

Ava nodded. "He had all the symptoms. There's no cure for it. He was on borrowed time." She cringed at how blunt she sounded. The torment she went through when Will left, made her blunt. Not afraid to tell off someone if they deserved it. Carver was an excellent example.

"You. Lived."

Ava could feel herself start to grow bitter. She lived. "Yeah, I lived." She clicked her tongue and curled her hands into fists. "I spent most of that time waiting to die. Whether it was the hands of some random person, or the virus itself. I just waited." Talking about it so openly, Ava could feel that familiar darkness start to billow in her gut. "I actually wanted to die."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Caesar turn to her, confusion adorned his face. "Why?" His gruff voice dripped with his own disbelief.

She flinched. "I lost everything, Caesar." Finally, she looked at him. "I spiraled down this dark hole and I," a harsh ache caught in her throat, forcing Ava to gather herself. "I just wanted to be with my family. You know, I'm not sure if there is such a thing as Heaven. But, there has to be something after we die, right?" She shrugged, nonchalantly. "I thought being dead would be much better than living in this screwed up world."

"You still. Want to die?"

"When I met Malcolm, he helped me through all of that. It wasn't easy." She explained, seemingly skipping over his question. "But, do I still want to die? I think a part of me does. I feel like I'm on borrowed time and I'm just letting it all play out."

Something about the finality in her voice chilled the ape to his core. She was so different. Ava, before the pandemic, was carefree, vibrant and loved life. Now, she was hardened, tired, and clinging to the remnants of her will to survive. At any given moment, she could just give up. She had that look about her and it concerned him, deeply.

"I wish Will could have seen all of this." She smiled, looking in the direction of where the other apes were residing. "To see how much you've grown, to see you thrive with your own colony." She laughed, still amazed by how far Caesar has come. "He would've been proud of you. I know that I am."

Caesar felt something that he hadn't felt in so long. The pure elation that came with receiving praise from them. He could remember it so well. When he was a younger chimp, still developing at rapid speed, Will and Ava would always vocalize encouragement whenever he did something right. He would smile and laugh. He had completely forgotten what that felt like.

"Do you have a family of your own?" She asked, her dreary mood had nearly gone away. Now, her eyes were bright with curiosity.

Caesar nodded. "Two sons. And wife."

Ava smiled widely at the thought of little Caesar's roaming around. All she could think about was which of the apes were his sons. God, she wished Will could be here.

"I'm glad you've made a life for yourself. That's all we ever wanted for you." She said. "For fifteen years, all I could do was hope that you were still alive. That you were safe. I had no way of knowing. I mean, I guess I could've come up to the woods myself but I didn't think you would be here." She messed with the sleeve of her jacket, letting out a low chuckle. "Will, he had this hope, that one day he would be able to see you again."

She couldn't count the number of times Will mentioned Caesar. Nearly every day, the two of them would talk about him, sharing their thoughts on where he could be if he was alright. She knew that it drove Will crazy not knowing anything about Caesar. And if she was honest, it did the same to her. Will kept that hope with him, right up to the day he left. For Ava, however, that hope dwindled with each passing day. When she established herself with the colony, which was a few years ago, that hope became an afterthought. Something that she would think about while lying in bed. It became wishful thinking.

"Did you ever think about us?" The question had been hanging in the air, just waiting for Ava to pluck the courage to ask. But, it was a thought that had plagued her mind for so long. Of course, Ava and the others would never forget Caesar. But, would he?

"Sometimes." Caesar's answer provided instant relief to the tension in her shoulders. "I would think."

"Did you think that we were all dead?"

The question hit a nerve. Caesar flinched, he felt ashamed of himself. A few times, when he thought about his human family, the thought would cross his mind. That, maybe, they were all dead. However, knowing that Ava was the only one left, it left a throbbing ache in his chest. As if merely toying with the possibility somehow made it all come true.

"Sometimes. But, I had. Hope."

Ava smiled, but the bright curiosity was now replaced with a somber expression. "You know, I had hope that I would be able to see you again. Of course, over time, I started to push that thought to the back of my mind, but it was always there. Before I die, I wanted to see you one last time, to be able to actually say goodbye." She frowned, feeling another round of tears beginning to form. "Last time I saw you, was at the ape sanctuary. You ignored me, refused to look at me, I thought that you were mad at me. That you blamed me for being taken to that place. I stormed out of there, hurt and upset, and I didn't say anything else. Then, a few days later, you escape into the woods and I never got to see you again." Her lip trembled. She was reliving events she had turned her back on. This wall she had built to keep her emotions contained was slowly being chipped away. "That was my biggest regret."

She didn't expect this. Ava had no plans on just pouring out everything, and she didn't plan on being this emotional. It couldn't have gone any other way. It was emotional for them both. Each them they looked at each other, they're reminded of how their lives were. Caesar thinks about Will, his family. The people who showed him, unconditional love. And Ava is reminded that she lost everything. That she was the last remaining survivor of her entire family. That she was alone.

But, she wasn't. Not really.

For years, Ava had waited for something to kill her. Whether it was the virus or one of the humans, she waited. Ava never understood why she was the one who survived. Why couldn't she have died along with all of them? While she didn't create the virus, she's associated with the man who did. Didn't that count for something? Yet, sitting next to Caesar, she couldn't help but think this was the reason why she hasn't died. Ava was never too sure about the whole idea of fate and destiny. But maybe, just maybe, she survived all of that trauma to get to this moment. There was a purpose for her reuniting with Caesar. There had to be.

They remained quiet. Caesar didn't know what to say. He was still processing the information about Will and the others. He didn't know what to do or say.

In the distance, a bolt of lightning caught their attention. Ava watched the sky light up a few more times. She had to leave before the storm got here. "I need to get back before it starts raining." She stood up from the boulder and slid on her bag. "Thank you for the talk."

"Ava."

Ava blinked. It felt so weird, hearing Caesar actually saying her name. She still had to get used to hearing Caesar talk. She took a moment to ground herself, then turned to look at Caesar.

The ape hesitated, knowing that he wouldn't be able to adequately vocalize what he wanted to say. He raised his hands and signed, _"I never blamed you."_

Ten years she's spent living with this regret. Thinking that Caesar blamed her for being taken away. It was a gut-wrenching guilt that she never got over. But, she no longer had to hold that burden.

"Thank you for telling me that." A part of Ava wanted to give Caesar a hug, to fully show how much his words meant to her. But, she refrained from doing so. "I'll see you tomorrow."

….

Ava made it back to camp, with Rocket being her guide. While she was more than willing to leave by herself, Caesar made sure that she didn't. He asked Rocket to go with her, make sure that she got back to her camp safely. Rocket agreed albeit he was rather hesitant on it.

She turned to the ape and smiled, "Thank you."

Rocket didn't acknowledge her gratitude. The ape merely stared at her, gave a low grunt, then turned and left.

It almost made her feel silly, for trying to establish some form of trust with the other apes. She wasn't going to be here that long, so what was the point? She couldn't help herself. Establishing trust with the others apes would help to diffuse the tension between the two groups. The less tension there is, the easier they would be able to co-exist for the next few days. However, Rocket's disinterest with her should be a sign for her to stop.

Ava quietly walked towards her tent when she heard shuffling coming from one of the other tents. Malcolm poked his head out and she sighed. "I told you not to wait up for me."

"Kinda hard not to knowing you were going alone."

Ava casually rolled her eyes, but any annoyance was covered up by her smile.

"What did he want?" Malcolm asked.

She shook her head and shrugged. "Nothing. Just wanted to make sure that everything was in order. That we're willing to hold up our end of the deal."

Malcolm narrowed his eyes, not fully accepting the half-assed excuse he just made. "Are you sure everything's alright?"

"Yeah." Before Malcolm could say anything else, Ava said, "get some sleep, there's a lot we gotta do tomorrow. We need all the rest we can get."

Without saying anything else, Ava stepped into her tent and shrugged off her bag. After, stripping down to her tank top and pants, she climbed into her cot. She pulled the blanket to her chest and sighed, her mind still buzzing with her conversation with Caesar. Only now, was she able to truly relish having a connection with him again. While it will never go back to how it was before, she's going to enjoy it was much as she could. Once that dam is running, she'll leave and never come back. That's what she promised him and she's going to keep her side of the deal.

The forest lit up from the lightning and thunder rolled overhead. It was loud enough to make Ava jump. As the rain started to pour down, she curled up and closed her eyes, hoping to get a decent enough sleep.

* * *

 _2011_

….

Caesar yelped and sat up in his bed. The rain pounded against the window and the thunder was relentless. He remained frozen until the thunder roared outside, causing him to jump out of bed. He opened the attic door and climbed out. Standing in the hallway, he took one look around before trotting towards one of the bedroom doors. He pushed open the door and saw that Ava was sleeping soundly in her bed.

Her mother had been working late that night. Like many times before, Ava stayed over in the spare bedroom Will set up for her. And Caesar was more than elated when he found out she was staying. Caesar's mood always depleted whenever Ava would leave to go home.

A flash of lightning illuminated the room, causing him to jump onto her bed in surprise.

Ava sat up and gasped at the unfamiliar weight on her bed. The ten year old was frightened at first. But, as her eyes cleared, she saw the small form of a frightened Caesar, sitting at the foot of her bed. "Caesar?" She rubbed at her eyes. "Are you okay?"

The young ape raised a hand and signed, _"Scared."_

Ava blew out a tired sigh. Helping Caesar to get over his fear of storms was still a work in progress. Some days, when the storms aren't as bad, Caesar can tough through it. But, hearing the wind howling and the rain against her window, Ava could hear how bad it was out there. She ran a hand through her messy hair, "You want to sleep in here with me?"

Caesar was all too eager. He answered her question by settling himself under the covers with her. As she laid back down, Caesar cuddled up next to her, his head resting against her chest. She smiled and secured an arm around him, before falling back to sleep.

Caesar remained awake. Each time thunder rolled in the sky, he flinched and settled closer to Ava. To combat his fear, Caesar focused his attention on the sound of Ava's heartbeat. The single beats combined with her breathing calmed him. It was a different form of a lullaby. When Caesar was much younger, Will would often play lullabies, to help the chimpanzee to fall asleep. And it worked every single time.

Ava woke up momentarily. She could feel how tense Caesar was and she tightened her hold around him. "It's okay, Caesar. Go to sleep."

He listened. Caesar closed his eyes, allowing sleep to finally take over.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, everyone. It's been a while and I apologize for how long this update took. After updating chapter three, I experienced one of the _worst_ writer's block, ever. To the point where I couldn't even write any of my stories. It was really bad. I eventually started a new story and I've been focusing on that since November. However, my muse for this story slowly came back and I managed to finish this next chapter. I really don't like how it came out and I'm sorry that it's not my best. But, I hope you all enjoy it!

Not sure when the next update will be. I'm hoping it won't be another five months! Also, this is a shameless plug, but if any of you are a fan of _Stranger Things_ maybe check out my new story. Only if you want, you absolutely don't have to! Reviews are also highly appreciated, it's what helps motivate me. Until next time!


	5. Chapter V

**Disclaimer: I do not own Planet of the Apes**

* * *

The morning after was cloudy and cold.

When Ava woke, she was greeted by the sight of apes sitting outside of her tent. It jolted her awake but she soon relaxed. Each member of the team woke at the same time, all of them feeling a little disconcerted about having all of the apes around them. Nevertheless, they all got dressed, packed up the necessities, and then started on the hike towards the dam.

When they reached the dam, Ava spotted Caesar riding up on his horse with a few other apes. She didn't say anything to him, instead, she quietly slipped in the entrance. Malcolm led the way, down a rusted ladder where they found a tunnel. Ava, Malcolm, Foster, Kemp, and Carver rigged up a pulley system to make traveling through the tunnel easier. Once the rig was up, the five of them settled on her stomachs and pulled themselves through the cramped tunnel.

One by one, they exited into the engine room. The five of them stood to face a huge pile of rubble that was blocking the engine turbines. Ava blew out a silent breath. There was no way they would be able to work with all of this rubble in their way.

"We're gonna have to rig up explosives, get all of this debris out of the way." Malcolm directed. "Come on, let's go."

The group got to work with the wiring. Ava helped with setting up the explosives on various parts of the rubble. From there, Malcolm tacked on the wiring. Then, they each got on their respective scooters and began to pull themselves back through the tunnel. Ava felt her nose sting at the strong scent of mold and dirty water. A ten-year buildup of god knows what. She had to bite her tongue from saying anything when her hand touched something slimy.

Oh god.

"Woah, wait, hold on!" Malcolm called out. The others stopped. "That's all the wiring we have left. So, brace yourselves."

That didn't sound good at all. "You're gonna detonate it while we're still in here?" Ava questioned, trying not to give away her panic.

"We have no other choice. Here we go."

Ava tried to brace herself.

Malcolm pressed the button. The entire ground beneath them shook. Ava jumped when she heard the explosion. Then, without warning, the tunnel began to collapse. Chunks of cement fell in front of her, splashing water in her face. A massive force fell on her back, pinning her down. A scream slipped past her lips. While there was some pain, her reaction was based more on the sudden force. It scared her more than anything.

Ava tried moving, pausing when the piece of debris dug deeper into her back. "Shit," She cursed under her breath. The weight of the debris pinned her down, preventing her from being able to move. Then, she started to panic, her throat began to tighten. It was almost claustrophobic, being pinned down in a wet, smelly tunnel with no way of getting out. Ava tried taking deep breaths but they only came out as wheezes. She tried moving again, stopping when the pain in her back spiked.

"Ava, are you okay?" Malcolm called out to her.

She closed her eyes, huffing deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. "I-I don't know!" she yelled. "I'm pinned down! A piece of debris is pinning me down!"

"Just hold on! We'll get out of here!"

Right, okay, just hold on.

Ava had no idea how they were going to dig their way out of this tunnel. She was trapped under debris, not knowing how much. As for the others, she didn't know if any of them were hurt. Although, someone was definitely in pain and it sounded like Carver. Ava decided to focus on keeping calm. Panicking won't help her situation and it will only make things worse.

Calm down. Just calm down.

"Malcolm!" Ellie's voice filtered into the tunnel. "Just hang on alright, we're gonna get you out of here!"

"You hear that Ava," Malcolm called out to her. "Just hang on a bit longer."

"Okay, okay." She breathed out.

Ava focused on trying to remain calm. The debris crushing her made it a little difficult. The slightest move seemed to agitate it even more. She remained completely still, her face was nearly touching the dirty water. She tried closing her eyes, hoping to tune out everything that was going on around her. And it seemed like an eternity, but she could feel herself being pulled. She glanced up and nearly yelped at the sight of Kemp crawling towards her.

"It's alright," she spotted a tool in his hand but said nothing as he stopped in front of her. "We need to break this piece of debris enough to move it, so just keep your head down."

Ava did just that. She kept her head down, flinching every time Kemp would hit the debris. Small chunks of concrete cascaded down her face and splashed into the water. She just wanted out. She wanted out of this tunnel and to be able to breathe in fresh air. A pair of arms grabbed her, prompting Ava to lift her head. Kemp was right in front of her, face glistening with water and dirt. He had a hold on her arms and began to pull her out of the tunnel.

Kemp pulled her through the opening and helped Ava to her feet. Immediately, she felt a deep ache in her back. She stumbled forward and Ellie was able to catch her before she could fall.

"What's wrong?"

"My back," Ava whispered.

"Okay, I'll take a look at it when we get out of here."

….

The moment she stepped out of the power plant, she took in the biggest breath of her life. The sound of the river, and low grunts of the apes as they escorted them out. Just to be out of that tunnel made her feel incredibly grateful. She managed to thank a few of the apes as they walked by her, they only responded with a quick start. Kemp had an arm around her, helping to guide her to the spot Ellia had deemed acceptable for a quick base set up.

Kemp sat Ava down on a large rock, knelt next to her with his hand still on her back. "How bad is the pain?"

Ava hissed, trying to stretch out her muscle. "I-it's not like a pain. It's just really stiff."

"Here, I got her." Ellie marched over and took Kemp's spot. "I need you to go over and help with Carver until I'm done here."

Kemp nodded and quickly went to tend to Carver.

Ellia offered Ava a quick smile. "You need to tell me where it hurts."

"Literally, in the middle of my back," Ava gently removed her jacket. "A piece of debris fell on me but I'm positive it's not that serious."

"No," Ellie gently pressed against the area on Ava's back, feeling for any kind of fractures or breakage that may be present. "If your back was broken, you wouldn't even be able to move without significant pain. So, that's one good sign." She pressed gently against Ava's spine, "does that hurt?"

"It's a little tender." Ava casually glanced up and saw Caesar staring at her. She could recognize the concern on his face. She raised her hands and quickly signed, "I'm okay." The ape was able to relax.

Ellie went to pull up the bottom of Ava's shirt, then paused. "I'm gonna need to lift this up a little, do you wanna move somewhere for privacy?"

"No, it's fine. It's not like I'm stripping down or anything."

"Okay." Ellie pulled up Ava's shirt, just enough to where her back was exposed for a better examination. There was already a large red spot on the middle of Ava's back. Ellie gently prodded at the area and heard Ava hiss. "Okay, I don't feel any fractures, I just think you got bruised up really bad."

"Good, the last thing I want is to lay out on my back."

"I do have some painkillers, though."

Ava pulled down her shirt and took two pills from Ellie, using her canteen of water to wash them down. After, she slid her jacket back on and stood from the rock. Ellie was adamant that she rest for the remaining time, but Ava dismissed it. She was fine. Albeit she was still sore, she could still walk around and help the others. While Ellie tended to Carver, Ava sat with Kemp and Foster, who were taking care of their minor injuries.

"How are you doing?" Kemp asked.

"I'm alright, my back just got bruised, it wasn't that serious." Ava took a drink from her canteen and straightened her back, hoping that the painkillers will start to kick in soon. "Do you think we'll still be able to fix up the dam?"

"No doubt," Foster replied. "We'll just need to clear away the debris, although, we may need to extend our length of time here. With with the seven of us, we won't be able to clear that tunnel out in time."

Ava nulled over Foster's words for a few moments. She looked over at the apes, seeing Caesar talking with Malcolm. "Maybe we can ask the apes for help."

"You really think they would?"

Ava shrugged. "I mean, if we ask nicely, they might end up helping. They want us out of here just as quickly, so if we explain the situation, maybe they can help."

"Can I ask you something?" Kemp was the one who spoke up this time. Ava nodded for him to continue. "How is it that you're always so calm around them? I mean they're talking apes, their intelligence level is beyond anything that we've ever seen. Are you not intimidated?"

She didn't know how to respond. One of the ways she could handle this was to expose everything. Tell Foster and Kemp who she was, who she was related to, the fact that she's known Caesar since he was a baby chimp. She could just tell it all. A part of her wanted too. Keeping a secret like this was exhausting, and her reuniting with Caesar just made it all the more complicated. Though she surmised that soon or later, she'll need to come clean.

"Of course I am a little intimidated," she began, making sure to be careful with the words she used. "But, I know that with their intelligence they can negotiate like we do, understand terms, honor agreements. I told him that we aren't here to hurt any of them and I promised that we would hand our guns if it made them feel better. They don't want to hurt us. I don't know I just...find them fascinating I guess."

There was a small sound, almost like a faint whimper. Ava glanced down and next to her was a baby chimpanzee who couldn't have been more than a few days old. She smiled at the small chimp and set her canteen down.

"Hi there," she reached her hand out to the chimp, who inspected it before jumping into her lap. Ava looked up at Caesar who was admiring the scene before him. "This is your son?" The ape gave a slow nod. Ava focused back on the baby chimp, her smile never faltered.

The entire group watched the interaction. They noticed how calm she was and how well she handled the animal. Malcolm took note on how it almost seemed like second nature for her.

"You're so precious." Ava raised up her arm, allowing the chimp to jump up and it slowly crawled up the length of her shoulders, pausing at the back of her neck, the chimp placed his hands on her head to balance before hopping down. She should have paid attention to where the young chimp was going.

The next thing she heard was Carver yelling. She stood up and turned, seeing Carver trying to strike at the young chimp, who was rummaging through one of the toolboxes. In that small window of time, she couldn't understand why he would be so up in arms about it.

"Carver, don't!" Ava called out in an attempt to get him to stop.

One of the older apes charged after Carver and pushed him to the ground. Foster and Kemp tried coming to his aide and hopefully calm the animal. The ape screamed in their faces, intimidating them. It all happened so fast, Ava had no time to react.

Carver pulled a shotgun from his toolbox, the one where the young chimp had been rummaging through. He aimed the gun right at the ape.

"Carver put the gun down!" Ava shrieked, completely numbed by the fact that he kept a gun in his possession.

Caesar stalked up, grabbed the gun from Carver and slammed him into the ground. He raised the gun above his head, about to bring it down on Carver. Ava reacted fast. She ran and put herself between Caesar and Carver, her arms raised up.

"Caesar, don't." She stared at the ape, the menacing look in his eyes dimmed slightly. "Please, don't." She tried again.

Caesar lowered the gun and glared at Ava, feeling somewhat betrayed. She promised him that they would give over all of their guns. Yet, one of the humans just used one to threaten both of his sons.

"I didn't know." Her voice was weak but genuine.

Caesar held the gun in his hands, raising it into a loose aim, directly at Ava. The action made her heart stop. "I said. No. Guns."

Ava swallowed hard. She could feel the sting in her waterline as she stared at the gun. "I know. I swear, I didn't know."

Caesar turned to Malcolm, the menacing look in his eyes remained. He demanded an explanation, though it wouldn't do any of them much good. Malcolm raised his hands, "I didn't either. None of us did."

The answer wasn't satisfying. Caesar swung the gun to aim at Ellie and Alexander. Both Malcolm and Ava reacted at the same time.

"No!"

"Caesar, no." Ava stepped into the aim, her hand raised in a calming gesture.

It didn't do anything. Caesar turned the gun onto Foster and Kemp.

"Caesar, please!" Ava begged. She just wanted him to drop the gun.

After eyeing every human, Caesar raised the gun and threw it into the river. The act allowed some of the tension to ease but now everything has changed. This incident wasn't going to go unnoticed.

Caesar scooped up the baby chimp into his arms and glared at Ava. "Leave." He marched past Malcolm, "Human. Leave. Now!"

She flinched at his voice but remained in her spot. No one said anything. No one knew what to say. Their chances of restoring power was gone. Ava could feel a cold chill go down her spine. If they return as failures, Dreyfus is going to come up here and slaughter each and every one of them. She can't let that happen...she just can't.

* * *

He was still in her sights as she stalked back to camp. Her anger was boiling within her. It was a type of anger she never thought she was capable of feeling.

"You fucking idiot!"

Carver stopped to look back at her. He only got a swift punch to the face. He went to swing at her but Ava blocked it. Before they could go into a full out brawl, Malcolm grabbed Ava from the waist and pulled her away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Carver spat.

"You fucking piece of shit!" Ava screamed, trying to wiggle out of Malcolm's arms. "I told you. No guns!" Ava finally got free from Malcolm's hold. "You just fucking ruined everything! Are you proud of yourself?!"

"It's a good thing I kept it!" Carver defended. "That ape would have killed me."

"Because you threatened one of them!" Ava could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She was so angry, her eyes were cloudy with tears. "God, you know I should've let Caesar just beat the shit out of you!"

Carver went to charge after Ava but was stopped by Foster. "You really would've let that happen!"

"Yeah, I should have. You would be less trouble!"

"Fuck you!"

"That's enough!" Malcolm stepped in-between them. He then turned to Carver. "Why did you keep the gun, Carver? We weren't supposed to have any."

"I don't trust those apes. We were just sitting ducks out here, waiting for them to make the first move."

Ava scoffed and wiped at her eyes. "For once in your life Carver, you should have trusted me. I gave them my word, they trusted me. You fucked over us and everyone else at the sanctuary. If we go back there without restoring the power, Dreyfus is going to come up here and slaughter all of the apes."

"Maybe it's for the best."

Ava lunged after him, only to be stopped by Malcolm, once again. The only thing she managed to do was scratch Carver on the cheek. The three red marks were instantly noticeable. Foster made sure to have a hold on Carver, to prevent him from going after her.

"Both of you need to calm down, fighting isn't going to fix this situation," Malcolm said, hoping to reason with both of them.

"No, but I know what will." Ava turned and started back up the hill. Ellie tried calling after her but she managed to ignore her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malcolm and Ellie walking next to her. "What are you two doing?"

" _We_ need to make this right. I'm going with you this time."

"Suit yourself."

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, okay. I am SO SORRY for how long this update took. In all honesty, my muse for this story just been kind of, meh. Mostly because I am so focused on my Marvel series, I just haven't been spending much time with this story. Also, I feel like this chapter was crap. But, I am still pushing through, I am determined to finish this story.

A review would be much appreciated, especially since my muse for this story is so spotty. Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated! Until next time!


	6. Chapter VI

**Disclaimer: I do not own Planet of the Apes. All original characters belong to me.**

* * *

There was no form of trepidation as Ava entered the ape's colony, again. She was still calming herself from the rage she felt towards Carver. She just wanted to make it alright again.

The apes were surprised to see not just one, but three humans step into their colony. Ava didn't need to tell them anything. A few of the apes took hold of them and walked them up the spiral staircase, presumably to where Caesar was.

"Please, we just need to speak to him," Malcolm said.

The three of them were shoved into the tree house. Ava could only stare at the scene before her. There was Caesar, his sons, and other apes surrounding an ape that looked to be sick. She pursed her lips together, "Caesar?"

The ape slowly turned to face the group. His face was adorned with anger, his nostrils flared. Ava had never seen him so angry before, especially with some of it being directed towards her.

"Please," Malcolm spoke, his hand raised in a calming gesture. "We had no idea that he still had the gun."

"This is...my home." Caesar turned his back to them. "You should...not be here."

"We know," Malcolm answered.

"Malcolm," Ellie placed her hand on his arm, silently nodding at the scene before them.

Caesar was kneeling next to another ape who appeared to be having trouble breathing. She looked sick, Ava was able to detect.

"How long as she been like this?" Ellie questioned. Caesar slowly turned to look at her, the menace in his eyes didn't wane. Ava could feel Ellie tense next to her. "I have medicine, antibiotics."

"She can help you," Malcolm said.

"Do not. Trust you."

"I don't blame you. But believe me, we're not all like Carver."

Ava took a few steps forward, ensuring that she kept some distance between her and Caesar. The other apes had their eyes focused on her. "Caesar," she spoke, waiting for him to look at her. "Please, let us help you." She raised a hand and signed, " _Trust."_

Her gaze switched between Caesar and the sick ape. She hesitated before signing to him, " _who is this?"_ She then gestured at the ape.

"My wife." He then signed, " _Cornelia."_

A silent breath emitted from the young woman. She took another look at the ape and smiled sadly at her condition. "Will you let us help her?"

It wasn't easy for him, or maybe it was. Regardless of how the other apes felt, Caesar ultimately agreed to accept their offer. Ava was relieved more than anything. She held her hand out to Ellie, motioning for her to come closer. As Ava went to move away, to give Ellie room to work, Caesar grabbed hold of her hand. She paused and looked over at the ape, who kept his eyes on Ellie and Cornelia. But when Ava felt his hand squeeze hers, she understood what he wanted-needed. He needed for her to be there next to him. Having Ellie so close to his wife unnerved him, he had every right to feel that way. To have Ava, someone who would do anything for him, next to him was comforting. While ten years was a long time, Caesar could feel his trust for her starting to appear again. He only wished everything wasn't so different. A part of him wished that he could go back before everything-before he was sent to the sanctuary. When everything was simple and good.

Ava kept quiet, keeping a tentative eye on Ellie as she worked on administering the medication to the sick ape. The entire time her hand remained entwined with Caesar's, at the same time, she tried to keep this affection from Ellie and Malcolm's eyes. However, Ellie did spot it. Just for a brief second, out the corner of her eye. It was rather...peculiar. How Ava could be holding Caesar's hand when she had only known him for a few days? It made her curious. There was no way, with how timid Caesar is of the humans, that he would allow Ava to display that kind of affection with him. There had to be something going on...something that Ellie and the others weren't aware of.

While finishing with administering the medication, Ellie snuck a quick look over at Caesar and Ava. Their hands were still entwined but Ava was still trying to keep it hidden. Ellie began to stash the meds back into her bag.

"How is she?" Ava asked.

Ellie sighed and gave Cornelia another look. "She just needs rest. She'll need another round of medication in about six hours."

Ava inched closer to Cornelia, her brow furrowed as she examined her. "She's going to be okay, right?"

"Hopefully." Ellie nodded.

"One day."

Both women turned to look at Caesar, who was focused on his wife. "You all stay...one day."

"We may need more time than that," Malcolm said.

Caesar turned sharply to Malcolm, "one day!" Ava bit down on her lip, deciding to keep her mouth shut. "Ape will help."

* * *

They were able to stay. Under one condition: Carver had to be put somewhere else, far away from the apes. Ava and Malcolm were eager to agree. Carver had already caused enough problems for them, he was finished with the mission. If they absolutely needed his assistance, then they would retrieve him. Other than that, Carver was stuck in one of the vehicles, warned to leave for any reason.

He wasn't too happy about that, but Ava was. She knew that bringing Carver along would be a recipe for disaster… and she was right. Now, because of him, Ava and the others only had a day to clear out the debris and fix the dam. That would be a problem for them. Except, Caesar promised that the apes would help with clearing the debris.

After checking up on Cornelia, Ava and the others make the trek back to the power plant. The apes would take of clearing out the tunnel, while Ava and the others got to work on the power lines to get the plant running. The atmosphere was thick. All of the apes couldn't understand why Caesar would allow them to stay. Especially, after Carver dried to attack his sons. She knew it couldn't have been easy for him. However, she was immensely grateful. It gave her some form of hope that she and Caesar could make amends, to try and piece their friendship back together. But there was no way she could stay with him. And with Caesar being the leader of his own colony, he would never abandon them to leave with her. They were both at different points in their lives. In a way, they didn't need each other anymore. Caesar had his colony, his own family. Ava, well, she had herself and she supposed that was enough for her.

With a flashlight in hand, Ava was knelt down next to Malcolm as they were checking the main console. The wires were still in good condition, which surprised her. When Foster came over to inspect it, he noticed that there was a vital part that needed to be replaced. "Hey Alex," Foster took out the damaged part and tossed it to the teenager. "This relay is busted, could you find another one for me."

"Do you think we'll be able to get this thing up and running?" Ava asked, keeping the flashlight steady in her hand.

"If we can find a new relay, we might just have a chance at jumpstarting it."

Ava nodded. Then, she silently looked back at the line of apes who were clearing out the debris. For a small moment, she felt at peace with the scene. Even though there was tension, they were all working together. No hostility toward one another. Ava and the others wanted to get this one just as badly as the apes wanted them gone. She just wanted peace, and she knew that Caesar wanted the same.

"Hey," Foster said, prompting Ava to look back over at him. "I know I've already asked you this, but I just can't stop wondering. How the hell are you so calm around them? You know what they can do, what they're capable of doing to us...the harm. How can you be so nonchalant about it?"

Ava quietly chuckled. How long could she keep all of this from them? Even after all of this, once they return to the colony, there's no way they would let it all go. They would be more curious than ever. At some point, she needs to tell them the truth. Just… not now. "I don't know what to say, Foster. I guess… I know that as long as we don't hurt them, they don't have a reason to hurt us. Besides, I've always had a love for animals."

"Yeah, but these ain't your typical apes. They can talk, they have higher intelligence, they can use weapons for godsakes. I just can't get behind your level-headedness."

Again, Ava could only shrug. "I don't know how to explain it, Foster. Maybe once all of this is over, I'll be able to explain to you fully."

"Hey!"

A cry caught Ava's attention. She stood and turned to find Alex lying on the ground, and one of the apes was snarling at him. Her reaction was immediate. Ave ran over and placed herself between Alex and the ape, her hand was out in an attempt to stop the ape. "No, please don't."

The ape continued to approach her, he bared his teeth and hissed. Ava again tried to stop him from coming any closer and he swiped at her arm, startling her enough to send her falling down. Still, Ava hovered her body above Alex to protect him. "Please, don't!" She called out.

Again, there was something about this particular human that enraged Koba. The more he'd thought on it, and after seeing her again, he finally understood why. She looked an awful lot like that human who initiated testing on him. The bad human. He growled at her again upon his own realization.

Malcolm saw the scene and sprinted to their aid, shielding both Ava and Alex with his body. "No, don't, no, no."

This only aggravated the ape, even more, he raised his arm in an attempt to hit Malcolm, when one of the other apes-the orangutan, stepped in and stopped the ape from advancing anymore.

"Caesar," the ape spoke. "Want Ceasar. Caesar!"

Ava took the moment to help Alex up to his feet, but Malcolm made sure to keep both of them behind me. From a doorway at the far end of the plant, Ava could see Caesar walk in.

"Humans attack your sons. You let them stay?" The ape turned and advanced towards Caesar. "Put ape in danger! Caesar love human more than ape. More than your sons!"

Ava felt a knot form in her throat at hearing the ape's accusations. And the look on Caesar's face. It was nothing but pure rage. It was rage she had never seen before. Before she knew it, Caesar had attacked the ape. The two of them wrestled on the ground, Caesar taking heavy blows to his chest, making Ava's panic rise in her chest.

"Caesar!" She screamed.

But Caesar was able to get the upper hand. Soon, he was on top of the other ape with his hands secured firmly around his neck. He shook the ape, banging his head against the steel grates. There was blood all over the ape's face. It was horrifying.

"Caesar, stop!" Ava screamed again. She could see his hands tightening around the ape's neck and a primal yell fell past his lips, echoing off the walls. "Caesar." She saw the tension in his shoulders melt away. The grip he had around the ape's neck slowly loosened.

"Ape. Not kill ape." He finally backed away, his chest heaving.

Everyone was silent, no one-not even the apes, dared to say or do anything. The ape who had initiated it all got to his feet and offered his hand to Caesar. "Forgive me."

Caesar took a moment to look at the other apes, finally giving his forgiveness. The ape merely slinked off and left the power plant. _What the hell just happened?_ Ava was at a loss for words, not sure how to move on from this. She eyed Caesar, who appeared to be in shock over what he had done. Without saying to the humans, Caesar signed to the apes to keep on working and then left the power plant.

"What the hell do we do now?" Foster was the first to break the silence among the group.

Ava placed her hand on Malcolm's shoulder, "I'll be right back." She followed the same path Caesar had taken and exited the power plant. There was only one path she could have taken, and it led down a hill toward the banks of the waterfall. She continued on down the path until she found Caesar sitting on a boulder, staring out at the water. There was no waiting on her part. Ava sat down right next to Caesar, who merely look at her in a sideglance.

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "I know that letting us stay here to finish our work wasn't a popular choice with the other apes."

"If you don't finish, other human come here."

She nodded. "Still, I know that it couldn't have been easy." He remained silent. Ava took a moment to stare out at the water before asking, "who is he, the ape that you attacked?"

"Koba. He hate human."

"Why?"

"Human tested him."

It didn't connect at first. But the realization made her blood run cold. "Will?" Caesar only nodded at her question and she huffed out a breath. Of course. All those scars that he had, she thought it came from other animals or defending himself. No, it was from all the animal testing that Gensys did on him. "No wonder, I feel like every time he looks at me...I see nothing but pure hatred."

"You look like him."

She looked like Will. She had always known this. "Yeah, I can't fault him for that." Ava hated all of the animal testings Will did at his job. It was the one thing she couldn't understand about him. How could he willingly work at a company that tests on chimpanzees? Yes, they were trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's and look where that led them. The near full extinction of humanity. It led to Ava being the only member of her family left. It did nothing but screw her over. "I promise, once we get done here, we will leave and never come back. The last thing I want is for our presence to create any more trouble for you."

"It won't matter. Ape know human still alive. They will always fear of attack."

"Either way, it will be best for all of us when our work on the power plant is done." She could feel Ceasar's eyes on her. "You don't need me, Caesar, not even in the last ten years. You have your colony and family to look after."

"Where will you go?"

Ava shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'll probably stay with Malcolm. The fact that I know you're alive and well… that's all I need. I'll be fine." She knew she was lying. Well, it was half a lie. The knowledge that Caesar was alive is enough for her to leave and never come back. Being given the opportunity to see him again and find closure, has helped her in ways she hasn't begun to understand. But she didn't want to leave him. She wanted to find some way for them to stay together, or at least, close enough. It wasn't realistic and dwelling on it would only do her harm.

In an unguarded moment, Ava reached over and took hold of Caesar's hand. He didn't pull away. His hand curled around hers, allowing himself to relish in the comfort that she always provided him.

On top of the hill behind them, Malcolm was watching the pair, silently. He saw their entwined hands and total confusion and surprise set in. But he said nothing. With the image still in his mind, he went back to the power plant, intending on asking Ava something that's been bugging his mind for a while.

* * *

Night had fallen fast and so did the temperature. Ava and Ellie were standing outside of the power plant, with their eye fixed on the hydro. Malcolm had told them to wait outside and let him know if the hydro started to work. They were nearly done with fixing the power plant. Now, it was all about seeing if all their hard work would pay off.

"I hope this works." Ellie's breath puffed out in clouds of smoke. She stashed her hands into her jacket pockets, hoping to keep them warm. "I don't know what we're going to do if it doesn't."

"We're gonna have to go back to the city, and then Dreyfus will come up here and kill all the apes."

"Maybe there's a way to convince him not to," Ellie offered.

"No," Ava shook her head. "You know how humans are, Ellie. We destroy anything and everything that may pose a threat. When we get scared, we do crazy shit. That's how we got into this whole mess in the first place. Humans like to play God, they like to control everything in their world." She casually glanced over at Ellie, even in the dark she could see Ava's eyes were glistening. "This whole pandemic, the humans have no one to blame but themselves for it."

Ellie stated at Ava in shock, but slowly nodded her head. A part of her did agree with what Ava said. But the other half was screaming inside of her. She didn't' ask for this. She didn't ask to lose her daughter...to lose everything.

A loud noise emanated from the power plant. The two women fixed their gazes on the hydro, waiting for the moment they had been biting their nails over. Finally, the hydro wheels began to turn and they both huffed out a laugh.

"It's working!" Ellie threw her arms around Ava, both of them relishing in their little celebration. "Malcolm!" Ellie turned and ran into the power plant, leaving Ava out by herself. But she didn't care. It worked. The hydro was actually working. That means the apes were safe, Dreyfus wasn't going to bring the humans up here and destroy the apes' home. Peace could be maintained. The humans will have their power and the apes can continue to thrive in the woods.

It was all going to be okay.

Tears streamed down Ava's cheeks, her smile only grew. Finally, in this dark grim world, there was a glimmer of hope. And she was going to hold onto that for as long as she can.

….

Word had gotten back to the humans that the apes have spotted some form of light source in the woods. Ava and the others gathered up their supplies and, with the apes' guidance, found their way to the source. It was an old gas station that was overtaken with weeds and shrubbery. Kemp was the only one to enter the small building, the others remained outside, taking in the sight before them.

The faint notes from a guitar filtered out the worn down speakers. Soon, the song was blasting through the speakers. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It had been so long since she last listened to music. Ava looked over at Ellie and Malcolm, both had tears in their eyes and bright smiles on their faces. Foster even began to dance, which only made Ava laugh. She hadn't seen them this happy since...well ever. She still couldn't believe they did it.

Caesar, who had ridden his horse, strode over to Malcolm. "Thank you," Malcolm said. "It worked, well at least it did here, we'll know when we get back to the city."

Caesar offered his hand to Malcolm, "Trust." The ape then looked over at Ava, the smile on her face was enough to make him smile as well.

"Thank you, Caesar. If you hadn't let us stay here, none of this would have happened," she reached up and took his hand. "Thank you."

Caesar nodded and she saw a look cross over his eyes. He turned to Malcolm, "Follow." He instructed. Then, he took a firm hold of Ava's arm and motioned for her to get on the horse. She hesitated before seeing him motion at her again. With his help, Ava hoisted herself onto the horse, seeing the surprised looks from Malcolm and Ellie.

"Follow," Caesar instructed again before tugging on the reins, sending his horse off on the trail.

The place he took them was back to his colony. That was surprising for all of them. Ava thought that he was escorting them back to camp, so they could pack up their things and leave. But no, he took them back to his colony. The apes surrounded the arriving party as she and Caesar dismounted his horse. Taking hold of her hand, Caesar led Ava and the other members up on an incline. He situated them into a line then pointed out to the horizon, "the lights."

They looked out and saw the San Francisco skyline lit up. It was beautiful. Ava had forgotten what the city looked like when it was lit up. She could only imagine the reaction from the rest of the colony. They were probably celebrating.

Ava felt Caesar tug at her arm, leading her further up the incline to where he and his family lived. She saw Cornelia at the top, with their baby chimp in her arms. Caesar was the first to greet her, asking if she was feeling any better. Ava saw her sign to him that she was, and that made her feel nothing but relief. Another good thing to happen tonight.

Caesar turned around and pointed to Ava, who approached the pair. " _I'm Ava,"_ she signed to Cornelia. " _I am a friend of Caesar's."_

" _She helped you to feel better."_ Caesar signed.

Cornelia smiled. She braced her hand behind Ava's head and tugged her close until their foreheads were touching. Ava could feel her heart swell. She remembered the many times that she and Caesar did this when they were younger. It was a sign of affection that Ava always loved in partaking with him. The fact that his wife, whom she had never formally met before, was showing her the same amount of affection warmed her heart.

Cornelia moved away and placed her hand against her chest and then signed, " _Thank you."_

" _It was my pleasure,"_ Ava signed back. She then turned around and saw their eldest son approaching the pair, at least, that's who she thought it was. She backed up and made her way back down to the group, wanting to give the family some time together. She hugged Malcolm and Ellie, basking in their accomplishment. After all the obstacles they faced while up here, all of the tension they had experienced, it was all worth it. They had completed their task. They can all live in peace now.

But their celebration was short lived. A gunshot rang out.

Ava's attention was immediately brought to where Caesar was standing, near the edge of the cliff. And in a matter of seconds, Caesar fell over the side, into the darkness below. "Ceasar!" Ava's screamed echoed across the canyon.

The apes began to scream and howl in confusion and fear. The only thing keeping her grounded and focused was Malcolm's hold on her arm. A mass ran down from the incline and onto a large boulder in the middle of the colony. It was Caesar's eldest son and he had a gun his hands. He raised it up for everyone to see.

"Human gun!"

Ava felt her stomach turn as what has just happened. Human gun. A human shot Caesar. That meant...Carver. And it also meant that Caesar was… no, it couldn't be.

The orangutan, who had saved Malcolm, Ava, and Alex earlier, turned to them and uttered only one word. "Run."

That's what they did. Ava and the others turned and ran towards the exit. Parts of the colony had been set aflame. _What the hell did Carver do?_ Ava thought as they rushed out of the colony camp. They didn't stop. Malcolm had a hold of Ellie's arm while Ava had a hold of Alex.

They kept running, the sound of apes screaming and Koba's yells of revenge, kept the adrenaline rushing through their veins.

Ellie lost her footing and fell. They quickly got her to her feet and then took refuge under a fallen tree. Malcolm wrapped his arm around Ava, pulling her close to them. The apes were fast approaching and, soon, were jumping over their refuge and continuing on down the hill. Ava buried her head against Malcolm's shoulder, biting back a cry over the anguish she was feeling.

Caesar was dead. He was dead. _**Caesar was dead!**_

* * *

2016

….

It had been a casual, sunny day. Ava was holed up in Will's home watching television. It was after school and he asked her to stay with her grandfather for the day. She was happy to oblige. Unfortunately, his Alzheimer's were starting to make a comeback. Will was working tirelessly to find a new treatment that would contain a more aggressive virus. Ava tried not to think too much about her grandfather's depleting health. It would only upset her more.

During a commercial break, Ava went into the bathroom, unbeknownst to her, her grandfather was able to sneak right by her and out the front door. While in the bathroom, Ava could hear a small commotion coming from the attic. It sounded like Caesar was upset about something. When she exited the bathroom, she saw that the front door was open. _Shit,_ _Caesar must have gotten out._ Except, Ava could hear screaming coming from outside.

In a fit of panic, Ava ran to the open door and down the front steps. To her left, she saw her grandfather lying on the sidewalk. "Grandpa!" She jogged over to him, he was confused-absolutely lost. From above, Ava could hear ape shrieks and she turned around, seeing Caesar on top of their neighbor and she felt her stomach drop when he bit his finger.

"Caesar, no!" She screamed.

Caesar paused and looked up, seeing Ava and Charles and the horrified looks on their faces. He knew right then that he had done something bad. In his own shame, Caesar quickly made his way over to them and hugged Charles, his one hand going to hold Ava's. Charles was quick to comfort the upset ape, but Ava knew that this was a terrible situation.

The cops arrived, along with an ambulance and...animal control. The last one made Ava's stomach sink. Someone called about a chimpanzee that was attacking someone. Ava made sure that her grandfather was being looked at first, but when animal control went after Caesar, she was quick to react.

"Wait, please, don't take him away!" She grabbed Caesar's arm, hoping to talk some sense into the worker. "He didn't mean to hurt anyone!"

"You need to step back," the man placed his hand on Ava's shoulder, trying to get her to back off. He tightened the wrangling cord around Caesar's neck and it made her panic even more

"No, you're hurting him! Please, let me call my uncle, he can fix this!" She pleaded.

"I'm sorry, kid. But a chimpanzee doesn't belong in a neighborhood, besides, he attacked someone. We have to take him in."

The other animal control work took Ava and guided back over to the sidewalk. She helplessly watched as Caesar, who was terrified, was loaded into the back of the truck. The worker closed the doors and they both went to enter the vehicles. In one last attempt, Ava ran over to the doors and peered in through the small windows. Caesar was staring back at her with wide eyes.

"Caesar, don't worry, okay! I'm going to call Will, we're going to get you out! I promise we're going to bring you home!"

The car turned on and started down the road. Ava ran her hands down her face and took in a deep breath. "Okay, okay you got this. Just call uncle Will, everything will be fine." It had to be. Caesar will be home in no time.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I know, another long wait for a chapter and I apologize once again. I actually lost all muse for this story. It came back a little bit, which is why I was able to finish this chapter. Also, from how much I have planned, there are only about four or five chapters left in this story. So the fact that I'm so close to finishing it is also what helped me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. And if you could, please leave me a review. They are what help me through these writing blocks. Please let me know what you are looking forward to, or what you expect in the coming chapters! I'd love to hear from you all! Until next time!


	7. Chapter VII

_**To preface this, please read the author's note at the end of the chapter!**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the planet of the _apes_ franchise.**

* * *

It was a long night. Ellie and Alex managed to fall asleep after much persuasion from Malcolm. He stayed awake all night, keeping watch-making sure that none of the apes came back and found them. Ava stayed up as well. There was no way she could find any sleep. Not after what happened. Her entire body was sore, her mind rattled with inconsistent thoughts, and her heart ached. It took every ounce of strength she had to not breakdown in front of them. She thought about Will, how disappointed he would be with her.

 _I'm sorry, Will._ She thought to herself. _I'm sorry that I couldn't protect Caesar._

How could she have failed Caesar? She made a promise to herself that she wouldn't let anything happen to him or the other apes. She failed. Carver was able to obtain a gun and he _killed_ Caesar. Caesar was dead. She still couldn't fathom it, how could Caesar be gone? Ava kept berating herself. She should have known that Carver would pull something like this. Actually, Ava had a small amount of hope that he would lay low and keep himself in the car. But even that was too much to hope for. Carver just royally screwed the apes, Ava and the others...and he killed Caesar. Her blood began to boil. The hatred for Carver grew deep within her gut. He fucking killed Caesar.

 _You're screwed, Carver._ All she could think about was harming Carver. To make him suffer just as much as she was suffering right now. It was rather barbaric for her to think about it. But he shouldn't have done it.

They stayed hidden the entire night, not daring to move until sunlight streamed through the trees. It brought them some form of relief. They'd managed to survive throughout the night without any of the apes finding them. Malcolm was the first to come out of hiding. He checked the surroundings, making sure that there were no apes around. When the coast was clear, he motioned for the other three to come out. They did so with great trepidation.

"We need to find our way back to the car," Malcolm said. "Come on, let's go."

With him leading the way, the group set off down the hill. After rummaging through her bag, Ava found a full canteen of water and a few granola bars that she shared with the others. It wasn't much but it was enough to get them through the hike. The entire duration, Ava kept quiet and lingered at the back of the group. It was enough privacy that allowed her to let some of her emotions through. Her eyes welled up with tears and a painful knot formed in her throat. It was agonizing. She didn't know how to even react after something like that. What should she say, how should she feel, what the hell was she supposed to do now? She didn't just lose Caesar, his wife and sons lost him as well. Caesar deserves justice and his family deserves justice. All she could think of was how to achieve that justice. Did it involve wiping out Carver, or stopping the apes from taking over the city, or allowing them to?

It was a lot to take in. She looked ahead at Malcolm, Ellie, and Alex, thinking about the possibility of telling them the truth. Why hold back still? Caesar was dead and the apes were going to take over the city. There's no reason for her to hide it any longer. She held that secret close to her in order to protect Caesar. Now, her reasoning was obsolete. Ava shook her head and took a drink from her canteen. _Wait it out, you'll know when the time is right._

After about twenty minutes of walking, the group finally made it down the incline. Ava broke away from the group, deciding to walk around a huge tree stump. A part of her just wanted to keep as much distance as possible.

"I think I see the cars just right over there," Malcolm called out.

A small rush was relief hit her. At least, she would be done with all of this walking. As she began to round the tree stump, a large mass caught her eye, forcing Ava to stop. When she looked up, her breath became caught in her throat and her knees began to buckle. Lying in front of her was Caesar, his eyes were open-fixed, and he wasn't moving. In her moment of despair, Ava fell to her knees and crawled over to Caesar's body. She noticed the bullet wound in his upper left shoulder, and a cold chill ran down her spine. Her eyes focused on his unchanging face and all of her emotions hit her at once. The tears cascaded down her cheek, she covered her mouth to silence the hoarse sobs that escaped her lips. Seeing him here in this condition was too much for her to bear. With her free hand, Ava slowly reached out for Caesar's open palm. Her fingers just barely brushed his palm when another round of sobs wracked her body. She had to keep quiet. She didn't want the others to see her display this kind of scene. It would only raise questions for them.

"Caesar," her voice was sloppy and hoarse. "I'm so sorry." The only family she had left, and she failed him. She allowed her head to hang down, her entire body shaking from her sobs. Then, she felt it. A soft brush against her hand. At first, she thought it was nothing, but when it happened again Ava looked up. Caesar remained still and his face unchanged-until his eyes moved and looked at her. The only thing she could feel was elation. "Caesar," she inched closer to him, taking a firm grip of his hand. He let out a heavy breath, signaling to her that he was indeed alive. "Oh my god, Malcolm!" Ava screamed and glanced up. "Malcolm, come here!"

Malcolm, Ellie, and Alex were at Ava's side within a matter of seconds. They were all stunned to see that Caesar was still alive. But that surprise lasted for only a moment. "We have to get him to the truck." Malcolm, Ellie, and Ava picked up Caesar and carried him over to the truck. Alex made sure that the trunk door was open for them. They placed him inside and Ava was quick to jump in there with him. She made room for Ellie, who was checking Caesar's wound and helping to stop the bleeding.

"Ava," Caesar's voice was gruff, hinting to the exhaustion that was consuming him. Ava inched closer to him, taking a hold of his hand. "My son...my family. Where?"

"I don't know, Caesar." She felt like someone had punched her in the gut when she saw the look on Caesar's face. He was worried about his family. He didn't know if they were safe...if they were alive. And the fact that Ava didn't know only solidified his fear.

"Don't speak," Ellie said. She pulled a piece of cloth from her pocket and pressed it against Caesar's wound. "Ava, can you hold it." The latter did just that.

Ellie stepped out of the truck to talk with Malcolm. "He's not good, he's lost a lot of blood."

"But, he's going to be okay, right?" Alex asked.

"I don't understand," Malcolm shook his head. "Where did Carver get the gun, why would he do this?"

Ava was thinking the exact same thing, but where was he? Carver wasn't in the car. Though, she imagined that once he saw the apes running down the hill, he would have run. "I wanna find him," Ava said. "He's gonna pay for what he did."

"No," Caesar whispered, prompting Ava to turn to him. "Human didn't do this. Ape did this."

Everyone went silent. _Holy shit._

"Okay, everyone in the truck, now," Malcolm ordered.

"I'll be in the back with him," Ava told Ellie, who nodded and closed the trunk door.

* * *

When they got back across the bridge, smoke could be seen in the distance. It took them a moment, but soon they figured where it was coming from. "The colony is on fire," Ellie said.

"Where do we go now?" Alex asked.

Ava, who had been keeping a close eye on Caesar, could notice the shift in his eyes after Alex's question. They both stared at each other, Caesar being too tired to say anything. That's when Ava looked out the car windows and saw where they were. It was a neighborhood, but she recognized it. The houses, the streets, it was all familiar. Quickly, she turned to the others. "I know where to go, just keep going straight and I'll tell you when to stop." Malcolm wasn't entirely sure, but he nodded in acknowledgment. Ava turned back to Caesar, making sure to keep even pressure on his wound. She gave him a faint smile, "Are you ready to go home, Caesar?" The ape huffed out a breath but she could see how the corners of his lips twitched upward. He knew where they were going.

It wasn't long until they were getting closer to their destination. Both Ava and Caesar stared out the window, waiting for that familiar building to come into view. When they saw the window, they both reacted. Caesar weakly banged his palm against the window, while Ava said, "Malcolm this is it, stop." The car came to a stop and Ava made sure that Caesar was ready for his next transport. But, she asked, "Do you think you can walk?" The ape could only give a shake of the head. "It's okay, we'll take care of you."

Ava pushed open the trunk door and hopped out. Down the street, she could barely spot her old house, which was covered in weeds. She turned to the right and saw Will's old station wagon overgrown with grass and weeds. She blinked, and when Malcolm and the others came to her, she snapped out of it. Again, Malcolm, Ellie, and Ava carried Caesar up to the front porch and Alex kicked open the front door. As they carried Caesar inside, Malcolm asked for Alex to move a table away from the couch he spotted. They settled Caesar down onto the couch and Ava took her spot next to Caesar, sitting on the ground and holding his hand.

"Dad, look," Alex brought over a framed photo and held out for Malcolm to see. "Look." Alex insisted again.

Ava could only spare a side glance as Malcolm eyed the photo in astonishment. Alex, immediately, showed the photo to Ava who almost broke down into tears. It was a photo of Will and Caesar, who looked to be about three years old in the photo. It must have been taken by her mother. She took the frame from Alex and placed it on the table, unable to look at it for a second longer. Now wasn't the time for a trip down memory lane. She hadn't yet taken in the current state of her uncle's former home, she was too focused on Caesar.

"We need to operate but I don't have anything, everything is back at camp." Ava's grip on Caesar's hand tightened upon hearing Ellie's words.

"I'll go." Malcolm offered.

"It's too dangerous."

"He's the only one who can stop this." Malcolm's decision was final. Ellie could only reluctantly agree. Malcolm gave Caesar one more look over and then left the house.

The four that remained could only wait in silence. Ava never left her spot next to the couch, her hand never leaving Caesar's. At one point, Ava rested her cheek against Caesar's hand. For almost twelve hours, Ava grieved for Caesar believing him to be dead. Now, she was sitting next to him. While his wound was serious, he was still alive. That's all that mattered to her.

She took a moment to glance over at the framed photo she had abandoned a few minutes earlier. The scene was familiar. Ava tried sifting through her memories, trying to remember when this photo was taken. It had to have been on a weekend. Her mother must have walked in on the moment between Will and Caesar, and decided to take a picture of it.

Ellie and Alex tried to make the place as comfortable as possible. They laid out their sleeping bags. Ellie lined up the few medical supplies she had left. She ultimately found some leftover painkillers and gave Caesar two pills. It would be some time before Malcolm got back, it will be enough time for the painkillers to give Caesar some relief. As Ellie and Alex went back to rummaging through their bags, Ava noticed that Caesar was beginning to slip into his sleep. But she didn't want him to. She was afraid that if he fell asleep, he wouldn't wake up.

"Hey," Ava situated herself to where her back was facing Ellie and Alex, her full attention was now on Caesar. But she had to talk quietly, that way she wouldn't be heard. "Remember when we first took you to Muir Woods?"

Caesar's face softened as he remembered that day all too well.

"It was when Grandpa was feeling so much better. We went there and you got to climb your first big tree. And you just hopped from branch to the other. We were so scared that you might fall and hurt yourself." She laughed a the memory. Will constantly called out to Caesar, reminding the young chimp to be careful. And her Grandfather was insistent that Caesar would be fine and he was. "And the time when I was baking cupcakes for a school party, you wanted to help and you ended up dumping the entire bowl of flour all over you." Her smile grew, even Caesar couldn't stop himself from doing the same. It was the beginning of Ava's sophomore year and the teacher decided to throw a little welcome back party for the class. She wanted to bring in some baked goods for the occasion. And Caesar was more than eager to help. He was doing a good job until some flour got in his nose causing him to sneeze. As a result, he knocked over the bowl of flour and it went _everywhere._ Caesar was confused and upset with himself. But Ava merely laughed it off, assuring him that it was okay. " _There's plenty of flour."_

Of course, when her uncle walked in he wasn't too thrilled that his entire kitchen was covered in flour. But seeing Ava showing Caesar how to bake was definitely a highlight. It was actually one of the last good memories she had before Caesar was taken away.

Ava finally took a moment to look around at her uncle's living room, at least, what was left of it. The walls were dirty with the paint chipping off and cracks that were overtaken by nature. It definitely didn't look the way she remembered. It's always amazed her how fast nature took over when buildings weren't maintained. It was quite beautiful but horribly sad. "Remember when we would watch television in here?" she turned to look at Caesar, seeing that he was becoming more tired. "Will always insisted on something educational, but we always managed to watch something fun." Ava raised Caesar's hand up and rested it under her chin, her thumb brushing gentle strokes against his fur. "Every weekend we would go on a picnic to Muir Woods. Grandpa would play the piano for you. We both would play chess in your room and you would _always_ beat me." Her voice wavered at the end and her bottom lip trembled. She hated doing this. She hated talking about the past. It didn't change anything and she could never go back. But being in this house again with Caesar, it was hard to fight off the temptation. And the idea that Caesar could actually die, right here, it made all of _this_ more important.

"You're gonna be okay," she whispered. "You're gonna get through this. We're the only ones left in our family, and I'm not gonna let you die. So you need to fight as hard as you can." Tears streamed down her cheeks, a few droplets fell on Caesar's hand. "Don't leave me, please. You can't leave me, it's not your time to go, there's a lot that needs to be done."

"Won't… give up."

And she was damn glad to hear it.

Ten minutes later, Malcolm returned with the proper medical supplies. Now, Ellie could perform a successful operation on Caesar and he could start healing. Ava gave Caesar's hand a gentle squeeze before standing up. But she froze when she saw another ape enter the house. It was the same ape who showed the gun that allegedly killed Caesar. This had to be his son. Out of respect, Ava stepped back to where Ellie and the others were, wanting to give Caesar a moment with his kid.

"Your mother, brother," Caesar was breathless, he was having a hard time speaking. He's growing weaker by the minute. "Safe."

The young ape nodded and then signed to his father, " _For now."_

Ava felt herself sigh with relief. Good, Caesar's wife and youngest son were alive and well. She couldn't imagine what it would have done to Caesar if he lost them.

The young chimp examined his father's wound, all of his anger came back. He turned to the humans, bared his teeth and snarled at them. But Caesar was quick to react. "No." He took hold of his son's arm, prompting the young ape to look back at his father. "No human. Koba."

Ava couldn't imagine how confusing this must be for Caesar's son. To think that a fellow ape would purposefully try and kill his father, and for what? To somehow feed the anger he had towards humans.

"Ellie,"

It was time.

Ellie nodded. She took the bag of medical supplies from Malcolm and set it down on the table. "Caesar, we need to do this now."

They went to work. Alex left to sit on the porch outside, Malcolm didn't want him to watch this. Ellie asked for Malcolm and Ava to help her with the operation. Caesar's son had to make room for them but he remained close to his father. Ellie administered the local anesthetic and watching Caesar go under was the most terrifying moment for Ava. She thought about him not waking up after it. Ellie somewhat confirmed Ava's fear. Caesar had already lost a lot of blood, he's weak, and his wound remained untreated for almost twelve hours. No doubt a serious infection was inbound. Ava shook away the negative thoughts and focused on helping Ellie with the operation.

It was rather gruesome. Although, Ava was somewhat used to it. In the last ten years, she's seen horrible injuries, luckily she was never the recipient of one. Malcolm and Ava had to stretch open the bullet wound to allow Ellie access. She needed to find the bullet, to help prevent infection. Ava nearly gagged at the scent of Caesar's blood. Blood always had a rather heavy, potent smell. After what felt like an eternity, Ellie pulled out the bullet and dropped it on the table. She stitched up Caesar's wound and administered antibiotics. Then, it was done. The operation was a success. Now it was all up to Caesar.

"He's strong," Ellie assured Ava as they began to clean up the supplies. "We just have to wait and see."

The waiting game. Ava hated it. Caesar wouldn't be up for another few hours, that is if he actually wakes up. No, Ellie said that Caesar was strong and Ava knew how Caesar was, he was a fighter. If he could lead an entire group of apes to freedom, he can definitely survive a bullet wound. He's not going to give up that easily, he's going to be fine.

Ellie and Malcolm went outside to check on Alex and to give themselves some fresh air. Ava would have gone out there with them, but she stopped in the main hallway. It finally hit her that she was standing in her uncle's home. This place was pretty much her real home, having spent most of her time here while her mother worked late nights. Ava walked over to the staircase, her hands ran over the worn down wood. It was no longer smooth but rough, and a thick layer of dirt and dust covered the surface.

Ava inhaled a deep breath, then took the steps one at a time. The wood creaked beneath her feet, making her think she could fall through at any moment. But when she made it to the top, her body flushed with relief. She still remembered which room was hers. Of course, she would. Ava went for her bedroom door, which was opened ajar. She pushed against the wood and was greeted with the sight of her old room. It looked somewhat the same. Her bed was still in the same position, the blankets were strewn across the mattress. She couldn't remember how it looked the last time she was here. They were in such a hurry to evacuate, she barely had time to take one last walk through the house. Her bookshelf was almost stripped barren, all of her favorite books were in terrible states of desolate, the framed photos of her family were smashed, destroyed in the aftermath. She could only imagine how many people looted this house for supplies.

There was a sting in her waterline, causing Ava to wipe at her eyes. This didn't feel like her room, this place didn't feel like home. Yet, it was her home. That was the strangest thing about being here. So many memories are burned into these walls, but she felt like an outsider. Ten years, in the grand scheme of things, isn't a long time. But it was long enough for her to distance herself from this place, from the warmth and safety it always granted her.

From her bedroom, Ava went across the hall when her foot stepped on something. She stopped and glanced down, seeing that it was a frame. Bending down, she picked up the damaged frame and turned it over. The glass was covered in dirt and upon wiping it away, she saw that it was her grandfather's piano certificate. She huffed out a laugh, her mind flooding with memories of sitting with him at his piano. She could almost hear his music playing. Ava continued on until she reached Will's room. It was in the same disarray as her bedroom, except his room appeared to be worse off. The mattress had keep tears, his dresser had been knocked over, and all the photo frames were on the ground.

It broke her heart to see this former home in such a condition.

In her moment of melancholy, Ava walked into the room and picked up one of the framed photos. She turned it over to inspect it and was greeted with a photo of Will and her mother. Her reaction was instantaneous. Ava's knees buckled, forcing her to sit on the ground with her back to the bed. She stared at the photo, noticing that both Will and her mother were fairly young in the photo. It must have been taken well before Ava was born. Her lips curled into a smile. She missed them so much. She missed being around them, hugging them, she missed their voices. Ava hesitated. In fact, she couldn't remember her mother's voice. And Will's voice was just starting to disappear from her mind.

"He's going to be okay," she said to the photo, hoping that wherever they were right now, they could hear her. "Caesar is strong, he's going to get through this."

Ava held the frame close to her chest. Sitting in complete silence, her tears welled with tears which poured onto her cheeks. She remained still, refusing to wipe them away. And in the privacy of her uncle's old room, Ava finally allowed herself this moment. To remember the family she lost and to grieve for them. For years, she's held all of this inside of her, refusing to showcase it to anyone. To have a moment of vulnerability, it felt as if a massive weight was lifted off of her shoulders.

She didn't hear him. But Malcolm eventually found her upstairs. He didn't say anything upon finding her, she was having a moment and he wasn't sure how to tackle it. "Ava." When he spoke, she slowly turned to him, still clutching the frame. "I think we all need to talk."

She only nodded her head. Now was the time to spill out the truth.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey, look! An update that didn't take me four months to complete! Not gonna lie, I'm literally almost done with this story, maybe four more chapters to go? But I think it's enough to jump start my muse all over again!

So, onto that question, I wanted to ask you all. I have a plan for an epilogue once the main story is complete. The epilogue will basically be a long, summarized chapter of _War for the Planet of the Apes._ It will basically cover how Caesar deals with the aftermath of this story and the effect Ava has on his life. That's all I'm going to say for now because if I go further I'll spoil this story for you all. So my question is, would you like for me to post the epilogue when the main story is done? _**Please give me your answers by checking out the poll on my profile.**_ Thank you!

And if you could, please drop me a review! We are winding down the story and I would really like to know your thoughts!


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